Semantics is the study of meaning in language. It was first studied in 1892.
The word ‘meaning’ is an unclear term with different definitions. Meaning includes both connotation and denotation. Connotation is an implied meaning, and denotation is the clear expressed meaning. In other words, meaning, in semantics, includes “Extension: the thing in the world that the word/phrase refers to, and “Intention: the concepts/mental images that the word/phrase evokes,” ("Semantics").
The study of semantics is very theoretical, and was researched by philosophers such as Richard Montague, Donald Davidson, Ray Jackendoff, and Geoffrey Leech. The study of semantics looks at how words create meanings and how meaning works in speech ("Semantics").
Questions to consider
◆ Do you understand the difference between connotation and denotation?
◆ Have you ever think about both connotation and denotation in an one word?
Entailment
Entailment means hidden message that words have.
For example, the verb “drown” means “to die in the water”.
The boy drowned in the river but he did not die.
This sentence is not right even if this grammar is correct because word “drown” entails “death”.Nouns are same as that.The noun “bus” means a vehicle which carries many people, while “taxi” means a vehicle which carries some people, “truck” which means vehicle but does not carry people. This meaning can be seen in the graph from First Steps in English Linguistics.(Kageyama)
Taxi ＋ ＋
Truck ＋ －
all word has meaning. It is different from translation.
Do you understand "Entailment"?
Do you understand "Entailment"?
If you want to know more...Entailment
Semantic networks
Semantic network is a group of words with similar meanings.
① hyponymy relations
= “kind-of” relation.
For example, bird is kind of living creature and penguin is kind of bird.
(adopted from Kageyama)
② meronymy relations
= “part-whole” relation (Kageyama)
For example, house can divide into roof, door, wall, windows….
Like this, English verbs are as well
This is the figure about a word “look”(見る)
(adopted from Kageyama)
English has lots of word to express “activity that identify something by your eyes”. For instance, “look” and “see”.
“Look” means to turn your eyes towards something by yourself. There are more words to express that. For example, stare (look steadily), gaze (look fixedly), and watch (look carefully).
On the other hand, “See” means to come into your sight naturally. Sight (to suddenly see), witness (see what happen by accident) are same kinds of that.
③ defining features of categories
=each features how related to each other(Kageyama)
For example, dogs live on the ground, can walk and swim. Meanwhile dolphins live in the water and swim but they cannot walk. Words have features and this figure shows that how related each other.
(adopted from Kageyama)
Metaphor
Metaphor is a complex phenomenon. It is generally thought as a kind of comparison, and few people are aware of its linguistic systems.
You are the sunshine of my life. This expression compares someone's lover with sunshine; something that is impossible in literal terms.
The expression candle in the wind compares life to a candle flame that may easily be blown out. The artistic scenes of life are thus emphasized. But metaphor is not just associated with poetic language. Metaphor is a common and pervasive process in language usage and its results frequently become general. Thus, the meanings of many words have their origin in metaphor.
Synonyms
Questions to consider
Useful Links
This is good lecture about Semantics and Pragmatics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLt5NMZYRzM
Web page about Semantics:http://allaboutlinguistics.com/
Article about semantics and syntax abilities of Children: http://www.eleanorsemel.com/articles/percepiasArticle.pdf
Key Terms in Semantics
Connotation : an idea that a word makes you think of that is more than its basic meaning
Denotation : the actual object or idea which the word refers to
Metaphor : a way of describing something by refering to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thingMetaphor
Metaphor is a complex phenomenon. It is generally thought as a kind of comparison, and few people are aware of its linguistic systems.
You are the sunshine of my life. This expression compares someone's lover with sunshine; something that is impossible in literal terms.
The expression candle in the wind compares life to a candle flame that may easily be blown out. The artistic scenes of life are thus emphasized. But metaphor is not just associated with poetic language. Metaphor is a common and pervasive process in language usage and its results frequently become general. Thus, the meanings of many words have their origin in metaphor.
Synonyms
Synonyms are different words, which have the same meaning, or almost the same meaning. Synonyms can be nouns, verbs, adverbs or adjectives, as long as both are the same part of speech.
Examples:
chair and seat (nouns)
go and leave (verbs)
quickly and rapidly (adverbs)
long and extended (adjectives)
Examples:
chair and seat (nouns)
go and leave (verbs)
quickly and rapidly (adverbs)
long and extended (adjectives)
Synonyms need not be single words, as in war and armed conflict.
A word can have more than one synonym depending on which meaning you use for the word.
For example;
expired could have the synonym no longer fresh, if you mean milk that's past its sale date, and also could have the synonym dead, if you mean no longer alive.
expired could have the synonym no longer fresh, if you mean milk that's past its sale date, and also could have the synonym dead, if you mean no longer alive.
Antonyms
Antonyms are words, which have opposite meanings. The words hot and cold are antonyms. So are up and down, and short and tall.
A word can have more than one antonym, depending on which meaning you use for the word.
For example;
short could have the antonym tall if you are referring to a person's height, and also could have the antonym long if you are referring to the length of something.
Antonyms are words, which have opposite meanings. The words hot and cold are antonyms. So are up and down, and short and tall.
A word can have more than one antonym, depending on which meaning you use for the word.
For example;
short could have the antonym tall if you are referring to a person's height, and also could have the antonym long if you are referring to the length of something.
In many languages, including English, you can sometimes make antonyms by adding a prefix; real and unreal, flexible and inflexible.
There are actually four types of antonyms:
1) Gradable antonyms are opposites at either end of the spectrum
ex, slow and fast.
ex, slow and fast.
2) Complementary antonyms are absolute opposites
ex, mortal and immortal.
ex, mortal and immortal.
3) Relational antonyms are opposites where one word describes a relationship between two objects, and the other word describes the same relationship when the two objects are reversed.
ex, parent and child, teacher and student, buy and sell.
ex, parent and child, teacher and student, buy and sell.
4) Auto-antonyms are the same two words that mean the opposite.
ex, fast (moving quickly) and fast (stuck in place).
ex, fast (moving quickly) and fast (stuck in place).
Polysemy
Polysemy is an intimidating compound noun for a basic language feature. This happens when a word acquires a wider range of meanings.
For example, paper comes from Greek papyrus. Originally it referred to writing material made from the papyrus reeds of the Nile, later to other writing materials, and now to things such as government documents, scientific reports, family archives or newspapers.
For example, paper comes from Greek papyrus. Originally it referred to writing material made from the papyrus reeds of the Nile, later to other writing materials, and now to things such as government documents, scientific reports, family archives or newspapers.
Questions to consider
◆ How do we know difference of meaning and translation?
◆ Why we have to understand not "translation" but "meaning"?
Useful Links
This is good lecture about Semantics and Pragmatics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLt5NMZYRzM
Web page about Semantics:http://allaboutlinguistics.com/
Article about semantics and syntax abilities of Children: http://www.eleanorsemel.com/articles/percepiasArticle.pdf
Key Terms in Semantics
Connotation : an idea that a word makes you think of that is more than its basic meaning
Denotation : the actual object or idea which the word refers to
Synonym : a word with the same meaning as another word in the same language
Antonym : a word that means the opposite of another word
Works Consulted
"Semantics."All About Linguistics:University of Sheffield. n.d. Web. 8 January 2014. <http://allaboutlinguistics.com>.
Palmer, F. R. Semantics A New Outline. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1976.
Print.
Portner, Paul H. What is Meaning? Fundamentals of Formal Semantics.
Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. Print.
Riemer, Nick. Introducing Semantics. Cambridge : Cambridge UP, 2010.
Print.
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