Chapter 6 Semantics.ppt

Chapter 6 Semantics English Linguistics: An Introduction Chapter 6 Semantics 0. Warm-up Questions 1. Definition 2. Meanings of Meaning 3. Types of Meaning 4. Word Meaning 5. Sentence Meaning 0. Warm-up Questions 1. Definition 2. Meanings of Meaning 3 Types of Meaning 3 Types of Meaning 3 Types of Meaning 3 Types of Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 4. Word Meaning 5. Sentence Meaning 5. Sentence Meaning 5. Sentence Meaning 单词意义 意义与指称 创思英语 张Andy andy@ 同义关系 近义关系 方言同义词 文体同义词 情感近义词 搭配同义词 语义同义词 创思英语 张Andy andy@ 反义关系 等级反义词 比较反义词 互补反义词 绝对反义词 关系反义词 相对反义词 创思英语 张Andy andy@ * * What is the meaning of meaning? What is the relationship among meaning, word and the referent? What are the different relations between words in terms of meaning? What are the affecting factors of a sentence meaning? The subject concerning the study of meaning is called semantics. More specifically, semantics is the study of meaning of linguistic units, words and sentences in particular. (p93) 2.1 Nominalism Words are just names or labels for things. 2.2 Conceptualism Language and the real world are linked through the mediation of concepts (semantic triangle). 2.4 Behaviorism Meaning consists in the relation between speech and physical entities and events. (S-r-s-R figure) 2.3 Contextualism Meaning can be derived from observable contexts. 3.1 The traditional approach (Fries 1952) Lexical: “meaningful” parts of speech (n. v. a. adv.) Structural: other parts of speech, grammatical functions (SVOC), grammatical categories (tense, mood, etc) 3.2 The functional approach (Leech 1981) Conceptual: logical, cognitive, or denotative content / basic, criterial (The word woman has three criterial semantic features: +human, +adult, -male.) Connotative: by virtue of what language refers to / referent (additional and non-criterial properties of WOMEN: skirt wearing, sensitiv