On Some Basic Methods of Analysis of Content and Structure of Lexical-Semantic Fields

—In the paper, two basic methods of analysis of the meaning of lexical units and a general structure of lexical-semantic fields are considered. The main subject is to understand the essence of the componential analysis method and the field approach. The analysis of their definitions provided by various researchers, their main terms and notions, as well as prospects of these methods are presented. The methodology of the research is the analysis of various types of scientific papers dealing with history, theoretical basis and practical application of the componential analysis method and the field approach. The authors also present the evolution of the point of view on the role of these methods in the study of the meaning of lexical items, classification of semantic units and structure of lexical-semantic fields. The result of the research is a thorough analysis of essence, features, basic notions and prospects of the methods. The scope of the results is various kinds of scientific research works concerning the study of lexical meaning and issues of classification and arrangement of different kinds of semantic components, as well as the general structure of lexical-semantic fields.