Transcript Speech and Writing II

LING1001: Semantics I
S.Matthews
‘That’s just semantics’ – George Bush,
Senior
Defining semantics
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The study of meaning in natural language
Natural languages: human languages which
develop without conscious planning
Artificial languages:
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invented languages like
Esperanto and Quenya;
Computer languages like LISP and C++
The meanings of ‘meaning’
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Daddy, what does unique mean?
gwailou means ‘foreign devil’
When she says ‘go2 go3 seoi1gwai2’ she
means you (she’s referring to you)
I don't mean to interfere (it’s not my
intention)
When he sulks it means he’s depressed (it’s
an indication)
Sense versus reference
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Sense: the concept associated with a word
(or phrase), which determines how it is
used
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Reference: the use of a word (or phrase) to
pick out something in the world
Ogden & Richards' Triangle
(The Meaning of Meaning,1946):
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THOUGHT
/
\
(Sense)
\
/
\
WORDS - - - - - - - - - - WORLD
(Reference)
Reference as an indirect relationship,
mediated by thought
Grammatical vs. Meaningful
Sincerity breeds procrastination
Colourless green ideas sleep furiously
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-
These are grammatical sentences,
according to Chomsky
If grammar is not the problem, meaning is
Semantic features
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[+Animate]: human or animal, capable of
of intentional action
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Sleep: subject must be [+animate]
Ideas: [-animate]
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Semantic roles
the roles played by participants in situations:
“If you’re going to break up, it’s better to be the
leaver than the leavee. Because the leaver gets
to leave, but the leavee gets left.” (Woody Allen,
Everyone says I love you)
 Verb: leave: v.t.
Thematic roles: leaver, leavee
<agent> <patient>
-er as agentive suffix: employer (one who pays)
-ee as patient suffix: employee (someone who is
employed)
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Semantic roles: agent
It was designed by Armani
Armani designed it
\
/
Agent
\
It was brilliantly designed (by Armani)
 Agent: the participant in control of an event
 An agent is always implied in the passive
Semantic roles: patient
Floods devastated New Orleans
/
Patient
/
New Orleans was devastated by the flood
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Patient: a participant affected by an event
Semantic roles: experiencer
Dogs frighten Alicia Alicia is afraid of dogs
\
/
Experiencer
/
\
Sie gefällt ihm
He likes her
She pleases him
(German)
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Experiencer: aware but not in control
Semantic roles: recipient
She sent me pictures of the wedding
|
Recipient
|
I’ll ICQ you the phone number
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Recipient: becomes possessor
Summary
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Meaning has many meanings
We distinguish the sense of an expression
(what meaning it has) from its reference
(what it refers to)
Semantic roles: roles played by participants
in events; relate semantics to syntax
Next lecture: lexical relations
References
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Hofmann, Th.R. (1993) Realms of
meaning: An Introduction to Semantics.
Longman.
Leech, Geoffrey (1974) Semantics.
Penguin
Lyons, John (1995) An Introduction to
Linguistic Semantics. Cambridge
University Press.
Saeed, John (1997). Semantics. Blackwell.