2. • Semantics is the study of meaning. Lyons (1977).
• Semantics is the study of meaning in language. Hurford &
Heasley (1983).
• Semantics is the study of meaning communicated through
language. Saeed (1997).
• Semantics is the part of linguistics that is concerned with
meaning. Löbner (2002).
• Linguistic semantics is the study of literal,
decontextualized, grammatical meaning. Frawley (1992).
• Linguistic semantics is the study of how languages
organize and express meanings. Kreidler (1998).
Some Definitions of
Semantics
4. 1. It’s a good job he doesn’t know what ‘malaka’ means.
Answer: The interpretation of a word in a language
via its equivalent in a known language.
2. I’m sure she didn’t mean to pour olive oil in your hair.
Answer: intending a particular action or result.
3. Mean it? I even say it.
Answer: The speaker has said something that doesn’t
correspond with what he really thinks.
How could you describe each of
these of the word 'mean'?
5. What do we understand by “meaning”? What is
that “meaning” that is organized and expressed
by languages?
We can find pleasure in:
•Jokes
•Commercials
6. Sarah goes to school, and the teacher says,
"Today we are going to learn multi-syllable words,
class. Does anybody have an example of a multi-
syllable word?" Sarah waves her hand, "Me, Mr
Rogers, me, me!" Mr Rogers says, "All right, Sarah,
what is your multi-syllable word?" Sarah says,
“loveable." Miss Rogers smiles and says, "Wow,
Sarah, thankyou." Sarah says, "No, Mr Rogers, you're
thinking that I adore you."
School Joke
9. • for example, English words like paint and
happy and affixes like the -er of painter and
the un- of unhappy. It is concerned with
describing how such elements go together to
express more complex meanings—in phrases
like the unhappy painter and sentences like
the painter is unhappy and telling how these
are related to each other.
11. Human language differs from these animal
communication systems in two crucial ways
(Stimulus-free and Creative).
(Hockett 1957:574–85; Bickerton 1990: 10–16).
The Nature of Language
12. Human Language is Stimulus-Free
Animals can communicate only in response. Example: Bees,
when they have located a source of nectar in some group of
plants, fly back to their hive and report this discovery by
doing a dance that indicates the approximate direction and
distance to the site some particular stimulus.
Non-human communication takes place on the spot, and is
concerned with what is immediately present. No animal
can tell another one about past experiences.
Animals can communicate only in response. Example: Bees,
when they have located a source of nectar in some group of
plants, fly back to their hive and report this discovery by
doing a dance that indicates the approximate direction and
distance to the site some particular stimulus.
Non-human communication takes place on the spot, and is
concerned with what is immediately present. No animal
can tell another one about past experiences.
Humans alone are able to talk about wide range of
things which come from accumulated knowledge,
memory and imagination.
Humans alone are able to talk about wide range of
things which come from accumulated knowledge,
memory and imagination.
13. Human Language is Creative
Animal can only produce a message that could
be understood by the species itself.
Animal can only produce a message that could
be understood by the species itself.
Human are always producing new utterances
which others understand; we comprehend new
sentences which others have produced.
Human are always producing new utterances
which others understand; we comprehend new
sentences which others have produced.
15. 1 year → imitate parents and environment (bed, doll, baby)
3 years → produce two word utterance (daddy bye, mama shoes)
4-5 years → speak more and express feelings.
Children learn language from:
→ Parents
→ Community
→ Society
Language And The Individual
16. When we learned what was spoken to us around four
and six years we do not remember learning to
understand.
Because the knowledge that we got is unconscious or
implicit not conscious or explicit.
"We know the language but we do not fully know
what we know."
So we need Language Knowledge.
17. 1. What is the knowledge that a speaker of a language
has about it?
2. What knowledge does one have that makes one
capable of using vocabulary, productively and
receptively?
Vocabulary and the way to use it.Vocabulary and the way to use it.
Knowing how to combine the vocabulary
utterances that will carry meanings to others.
Knowing how to combine the vocabulary
utterances that will carry meanings to others.
Phonology, Syntax, Morphology, SemanticsPhonology, Syntax, Morphology, Semantics
19. Speakers know in general way whether
something is or is not meaningful in their
language.
Examples:
a. The picture laughed.
b. Picture a Henry.
1. Anomaly
20. Speakers of a language generally agree when
two sentences have essentially the same
meaning.
Examples:
a. Rebecca got home before Robert.
b. Robert arrived at home after Rebecca.
2. Paraphrases
21. Speakers generally agree when two words have
essentially the same meaning.
Examples:
a. Where did you purchase these tools?
b. At the end of the street we saw two enormous statues.
3. Synonyms
use, buy, release, modify, takeuse, buy, release, modify, take
wide, smooth, nice, huge, originalwide, smooth, nice, huge, original
» Where did you buy these tools?
» At the end of the street we saw two huge statues.
22. Speakers generally agree when two words
have opposite meanings in given context.
Examples:
a. Betty cut a thick slice of cake.
b. The train departs at 7:15.
4. Antonyms
bright, big, soft, thin, wetbright, big, soft, thin, wet
arrives, leaves, waits, turns, goesarrives, leaves, waits, turns, goes
» The train arrives at 7:15.
» Betty cut a thin slice of cake.
23. Speakers recognize when the meaning of
sentence contradict with the factual data.
Examples:
a. The boy is female.
b. Cat is vegetable.
c. My father was pregnant.
5. Contradictory
24. It is a written method which can be used to express the
existence or non-existence by using plus and minus signs.
Examples:
6. Semantic Feature
25. Some sentences have
double meaning.
Examples:
a. Marry doesn't care for
her cat.
(doesn't like it; doesn't
take care of it)
b. Chicken is ready to eat.
(chicken will eat;
chicken will be eaten)
7. Ambiguous
c.
26. When a question and an answer relate each
other.
Examples:
a. Question : When did you last see my brother?
Answer : Ten minutes ago. Very nice.
b. Nick : It's cold here?
Anny : I will close the window.
The weather is hot.
8. Adjacency Pairs
27. Speakers are aware that two statements may
be related in such a way that if one is true.
Examples:
a. - John feed a cat.
- John has a cat.
b. - Fido is a dog.
- Fido is mammal.
9. Entailment
28. In a sentence there are some assumptions.
Examples:
Angel goes to office by car.
The sentence can be assumed :
»Angel is an employee.
»Angel has a car.
10. Presupposition