简明语言学教程第5章Chapter 5Semantics.pptVIP

Chapter 5 Semantics 5.1 What is Semantics? Definition of Semantics:Semantics can be simply defined as the study of meaning. Definition of meaning: The philosophers: relations between linguistic expressions and what they refer to in the real world, and in evaluating the truth value of linguistic expressions. The psychologists: understanding the workings of the human mind through language. 5.2 Some views concerning the study of meaning The naming theory (命名论) The naming theory was suggested by the ancient Greek scholar Plato. According to this theory, words are just names or labels for things. Limitations: 1) Applicable to nouns only. 2) There are nouns which denote things that do not exist in the real world, e.g. ghost, dragon, phoenix… 3) There are nouns that do not refer to physical objects but abstract notions, e.g. joy, impulse, hatred… The conceptualist view (概念论) This view 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. Thought /Reference Symbol/Form Referent (the semantic triangle 语义三角 suggested by Ogden and Richards) Contextualism (语境理论) They hold that meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context -- elements closely linked with language behavior. e.g. black white black hair 黑头发 black coffee 清咖啡 black tea 红茶 white snow 白雪 white coffee 加牛奶的咖啡 white lie 善意的谎言 white elephant 昂贵而无用的东西 The seal could not be found. ????The seal could not be found in the office. (stamp) ????The seal could not be found in the zoo. (marine animal) Behaviorism (行为主义理论) Behaviorists attempted to define the meaning of a language form as the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearer. Stimulus —Response (刺激--反应理论) (prop