新编简明英语语言学教程 何兆熊 第五章笔记和习题.docVIP

Chapter 5 Semantics Semantics----the study of language meaning. Semantics is defined as the study of meaning. However, it is not the only linguistic discipline that studies meaning. Semantics answers the question “what does this sentence mean”. In other words, it is the analysis of conventional meanings in words and sentences out of context. Meaning is central to the study of communication. Classification of lexical meanings. Here are G. Leech’s seven types of meaning. ( British linguist) 1. Conceptual meaning (also called denotative or cognitive meaning) is the essential and inextricable part of what language is, and is widely regarded as the central factor in verbal communication. It means that the meaning of words may be discussed in terms of what they denote or refer to. 2. Connotative meaning – the communicative value an expression has by virtue of what it refers to, embraces the properties of the referent, peripheral 3. Social meaning (stylistic meaning) – what is conveyed about the social circumstances of the use of a linguistic expression 4. Affective meaning (affected meaning)– what is communicated of the feeling or attitude of the speaker/writer towards what is referred to 5. Reflected meaning – what is communicated through association with another sense of the same expression Taboos 6. Collocative meaning – the associated meaning a word acquires in line with the meaning of words which tend to co-occur with it (2, 3, 4, 5, 6 can be together called associative meaning– meaning that hinges on referential meaning, less stable, more culture-specific ) 7. Thematic meaning—what is communicated by the way in which the message is organized in terms of order and emphasis. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang Joly Hawkes and Minford Go home On my way back Begin my journey Pass away Be no more Dead Death The breath is just gone out of the body Death Has gone Her spirit has retired Be taken from us Depart this world Depart this life Gone Gone Be no more Dea