第五单元句子关系课件.pptVIP

The End Chapter 5 Semantics 5.5 Sentence meaning The meaning of a sentence is obviously related to the meanings of the words used in it, but it is not simply the total sum of the words. Sentences using the same words may mean quite differently if they are arranged in different orders. Syntactic difference, e.g. The cat is chasing the mouse. The mouse is chasing the cat. Thematic difference, e.g. Ive already seen that film. That film Ive already seen. Sentence meaning is an area where word meaning and sentence structure come together. Sense relations between sentences  There are certain relations between sentences and also between constituents of the same sentence. Below are the major ones of such relations, and they are analyzed in terms of truth conditions. A is synonymous with B同义关系  A: The boy killed the dog. B: The dog was killed by the boy. A: He was a bachelor all his life. B: He never married all his life. In terms of truth condition, if A is true, B is true, and if A is false, B is false. A is inconsistent with B不一致关系 A: John is married. B: John is a bachelor. A: This is my first visit to your country. B: I have been to your country before. In term of truth value: If A is true, B is false and if A is false, B is true. A entails B (B is an entailment of A)推衍/蕴涵关系 A: He has been to France. B: He has been to Europe. A: John picked a tulip. B: John picked a flower. Entailment is a relation of inclusion. If A entails B, then the meaning of A is included in B. If A is true, B is necessarily true, e.g. if He has been to France, he must have been to Europe. If A is false, B may be true or false, e.g. if he has not been to France, he may have been to Europe or he has not been to Europe. A presupposes B (B is a prerequisite of A )预设关系 the second sentence necessarily follows from both the truth and falsity of the first sentence. A: John’s bike needs repairing. B: John has a bike. ? A: The queen of England is old. B: England