vastandliku

Vastandliku is a term used in Estonian linguistics to describe the property of contrastive opposition in language use. It derives from vastandlik meaning opposing or contrasting, and vastandliku is the genitive singular form used in phrases such as vastandliku tähendusega (with opposite meaning) and vastandliku paari (a contrastive pair). The concept covers several phenomena: lexical contrast, where antonyms and near-antonyms form a vastandliku paari; semantic and grammatical contrast, marking opposing states, properties, or judgments in predication or agreement; and discourse-level contrast, including contrastive focus and topic-comment structures that signal opposition between propositions.

In analysis, researchers study vastandliku patterns to understand information structure, meaning, and pragmatic effect. Methods include corpus-based identification of contrasting pairs, psycholinguistic experiments on contrastive interpretation, and cross-linguistic comparison. The exact scope of use varies among authors; it is more common in theoretical or descriptive linguistics and may appear primarily in academic prose or linguistic discussions.

Etymology: derived from Estonian vastandlik (opposing). The term’s usage is primarily within linguistic description rather than as a universally standardized category, and its application can differ between researchers.

See also: antonüüm, vastand, kontrasts, vastandliku rõhu, vastandliku tähendusega.

Examples:

- Sõnad "kõrge" ja "madal" moodustavad vastandliku paari.

- Lause "Ta on tark, mitte rumal" väljendab vastandliku tähenduse.