语言学第五章Semantics.docVIP

Chapter Five Semantics Teaching Focus 1. What is semantics? 2. Meanings of “meaning” 3. Sense and reference 4. Sense relations 5. Componential analysis --- a way to analyze lexical meaning 6. Predication analysis --- a way to analyze sentence meaning 1. What is semantics? Semantics is the study of meaning in language. Or specifically, it is the study of the meaning of linguistic units, words and sentences in particular. Different focus of the study in semantics: Logical semantics/philosophical semantics: Logicians and philosophers have tended to concentrate on a restricted range of sentences (typically, statements, or ‘propositions’) within a single language. Linguistic semantics: The linguistic approach is broader in scope, aiming to study the properties of meaning in a systematic and objective way, with reference to as wide a range of utterances and languages as possible. 2. Meanings of “Meaning” The word “meaning” has different meanings. It has been studied for thousands of years by philosophers, logicians and linguists. The naming theory: Plato Aristotle Words are just names or labels for things. Can you show the limitations of this theory? The semantic triangle: C. K. Ogden I. A. Richards (1923) → The Meaning of Meaning. There is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to. In the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind. thought/reference (concept) symbolizes refers to symbol/form referent (word, phrase) stands for (object) Geoffrey Leech (1974, 1981). Semantics: The Study of Meaning. Seven types of meaning: Conceptual meaning Connotative meaning Social meaning Affective meaning associative meaning Reflected and meaning Collocative meaning Thematic meaning (1) Conceptual meaning It makes the central part of meaning. Refers to logical, cognitive or denotative content.