. semantics(配戴炜栋版语言学)【DOC精选】.docVIP

課 程 提 綱 課程名稱： 語言學概論 任課教師： 孟智君 課程性質： 院考試課 學 分： 4 教 材： 《新編簡明英語語言學教程》 Chapter 5. Semantics 1. What is Semantics? ▲Semantics is the study of language meaning. ▲Meaning is central to the study of communication. Then, what is meaning? *Scholars under different scientific backgrounds have different understandings of languages meaning. 2. Some views concerning the study of meaning 2.1 Naming Theory (Plato) ▲Words are names or labels for things. ▲Limitations of naming theory: ⑴Applicable to nouns only. ⑵There are nouns which denote things that do not exist in the real world, e.g. ghost, dragon, unicorn (獨角獸), phoenix (鳳凰). ⑶There are nouns that do not refer to physical objects but abstract notions, e.g. joy, impulse, hatred. 2.2 Conceptualist view ▲The conceptualist view (概念論) holds that there is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to (i.e. between language and the real world); rather, in the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind. ▲Semantic Triangle (語義三角) by Ogden and Richards Thought / Reference / Concept Symbol / From Referent Word Phrase / Sentence Object in the world of experience ⑴The Symbol or Form refers to the linguistic elements (words and phrases). ⑵The Referent (所指) refers to the object in the world of experience. ⑶Thought or Reference (指稱) refers to concept. →The symbol or word signifies things by virtue of the concept associated with the form of the word in the minds of the speaker of the language, and the concept looked at from this point of view is the meaning of the word. →The main point of the triangle: the word is not the thing. 2.3 Contextualism (by Bloomfield) ▲Meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context — elements closely linked with language behavior