The Scope of a Semantic Theory

Words and Phrases

Meaning PropertiesMeaning Relation

Lina Magally Vázquez

Adriana María Rodríguez

Learning a language includes learning

the " agreed-upon" meanings of certain strings

of words and learning how to combine these

meaningful units into larger units that also

convey meaning.

The Scope of Semantic Theory

Meaning Properties

Meaningful and

MeaninglessAmbiguity Anomaly

Meaning Relations

Synonymy

Homonymy

Homophony

Polysemy

Inclusion

Antonymy

Meaning propertiesMeaning properties are those aspects of a linguistic unit

(morpheme, word, or sentence) that contribute to the meaning of that unit.

Meaning properties mean the pieces of information of the word which speakers of the language are in agree.

Meaning properties are used to define and describe the semantic components of a word or set of words. Ex: What common component has that set of words?

Tigress Hen Mare Actress Girl Woman

Female is a semantic property

1: Meaningful and Meaningless

A large set of words that we know are meaningful or meaningless in the language.

Any adequate explanation of the lexicon of a language must specify the meaningful words of the language and must represent the meaning of those words.

If a word is part of a language's lexicon with a generally understood meaning, that word is

meaningful.

Words Meaningful

Procrastinate

Mother

Bachelor

(put things off) X

(female parent) X

(unmarried adult male)

X

2: Ambiguity

I hope you are not lying __ to me. My books are lying __ on the table.

1. The kids are going to watch ___ TV tonight. What time is it? I have to set my watch____.

2. Which page _____ is the homework on? Please page _____the doctor if you need help.

3. Let’s play ___ soccer after school. The author wrote a new play ___.

4. Ouch! The mosquito bit ___ me! I’ll have a little bit ___ of sugar in my tea.

5. My rabbits are in a pen ___ outside. Please sign this form with a black pen ___.

Activity: Choose (a) or (b) (a) telling a lie (b) being in a horizontal

(a) small clock (b) look at

(a) one sheet of (b) to call

(a) participate in a sport (b) theater piece

(a) a tiny amount (b) past tense of bite

(a) a writing instrument(b) an enclosed area

ab

b

a

ab

ab

ab

ba

3: Anomaly

An expression is anomalous when the meanings of

its individual words are

incompatible.

-Anomaly expressions have no conventional interpretation. Referring to ‘meaninglessness’. - Anomaly is a violation of normal semantic rules to create ‘nonsense’ of something irregular, contradictory or inconsistent.

Examples:a. The table likes basketballb. Gradually plummet c. Colorless green idead. Dream diagonallye. Sleep furiously

A strange phrase, because it is semantically anomalous. (illogical)It doesn´t make a sense. “Dream diagonally” (our interpretation)It is important to notice that a semantically anomalous expression can be syntactically well formed, and this may be a major factor that makes it feasible for speakers to invent meaning for such anomalous expressions.

«Meaning

Relations»

Synonymy

Synonymy: words that have the same meanings or that are closely related in meaningSynonymy is a meaning relation which involves two or more expression having the same interpretation.

Synonymy will always mean one of two or more words in the English language which have the same or very nearly the same essential meaning.

Synonym: words which have the same meaning.

Kinds of synonimyKinds of synonimy

Partial synonymy is a meaning relation

in which the meaning or

interpretation of one lexicon only a

part of the meaning of the

other.

Partial synonymy is a meaning relation

in which the meaning or

interpretation of one lexicon only a

part of the meaning of the

other.

True synonymy is a meaning relation

which involves two or more sentences having the same exact meaning.

E.g.: "Uncle is a true synonymy of the brother of one’s father or mother, or the husband of one’s

aunt."

Close synonymy is a meaning relation

which involves two or more expressions of

which the interpretation is not

entirely the same but very close.

E.g. war, battle, combat, fight, struggle.

E.g. hen is partial meaning of chicken.

HomophonyHomophony: Different words pronounced the same but spelled differently and different meaning.

E.g.: Two, to and too

Meat and meetRight and write Flour (like mass) Eyes (part of the body)

Flower (plant) Ice ( frost)

Polysemy

e.g. bright: ‘shining’ ; ‘intelligent’‘Head’ of the body and the person at the top of a company.‘Foot’ of a body and of a mountain and of the bed or chair.‘Run’ a person runs, the water runs

Polysemy is a word or phrase with multiple, related meanings.e.g. The house is at the foot of the mountainsOne of his shoes felt too tight for his foot'Foot' here refers to the bottom part of the mountains in the first sentence and the bottom part of the leg in the second.

Meaning inclusion: words included in a group specifically

The meaning of sister includes the meaning of famaleThe meaning of murder includes the meaning of illegal The meaning of kill includes the meaning of dead

We derive expressions thet are redundant, when we put words together That are related by Meaning inclusion.

E.g.: female sister fruit apple

INCLUSION

If two expressions are not synonymous and the meaning of one Does not include the meaning of the other.

a.Father, uncle, bull all express

b.Say, speak, whisper,yell,scream

c.Fourtunately,luckily,happily,fortuitously

Property «male»

Property «male»

Property «vocalization»

Property «Good for»

Classical examples of semantics fields include :

Color terms Red,green,blue,yellow

Kinship terms Mother,father,sister,brother

Animal terms fox,bear,snake,fish

AntonymyAntonymy: words that are opposites in meaning, e.g. hot & cold. TypesGradable= not absolute, question of degree

Hot & cold – small & bigNon-gradable:

Dead & alive – asleep & awakeE.g. happy/sad married/single

present/absent fast/slow

Kinds of Antonym y

Kinds of Antonym y

Homonymy

Homonymy: Homonyms are different words that are pronounced the same, but may or may not be spelled the same and has unrelated meaning. Homonyms can create ambiguity.

e.g. bank: ‘financial institution’ ; ‘of a river’.Bat: ‘flying creature’ or ‘used in sports’Race: ‘contest of speed’ or ‘ethnic group’

Activity: Synonymy or Antonymy

Flourish – thrive Intelligent – stupid Casual – informal deep-profound Drunk – sober Sofa – couch Hide – conceal cheap – expensive Rich - wealthy

a. synonym

b. antonym

c. synonym

d. synonym

e. antonym

f. Synonym

g. Synonym

h. Antonym

i. synonym