Problem
Consider the likely referents of the word school in each of the following sentences: for example, in (1) the word schools refers to physical buildings or campuses, but in (2-6) it refers to various kinds of social constructions. Use the substitution test to identify and describe the range of referents covered by the word school in these sentences. What sorts of semantic and pragmatic relationships (propositional, metaphoric, metonymic, etc.) can you observe among the uses of the word school here? How can we best explain the wide range of referents this word allows? Are there multiple senses of the word involved, or one very vague sense, or are there other ways to explain this data?
1. Several schools were damaged by the tornado.
2. Sally and Joey went to the game to root for their school.
3. After the game, the whole school gathered to celebrate the victory.
4. The school is considering changes in the code on academic honesty.
5. I can't make it for lunch. I have school from 10 to 4 on Wednesday.
6. School sucks.