Unit 1, Basic Ideas in Semantics - Handout [PDF]

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Unit 1 BASIC IDEAS IN SEMANTICS

Basic Ideas in Semantics I. What is semantics? II. Meaning III. SENTENCE, UTTERANCE, PROPOSITION IV. Semantic triangle V. Reference and Sense

Semantics = a branch of Linguistics studying the meanings of words, expressions, or sentences dealing with meaning in the language forms

NOTES

(1) Semantics is an attempt to set up a theory of meaning. (p.8) (2) Semantic theory deals with semantic facts

e.g. The chicken is ready  to eat 1. The chicken is ready 1 to eat .

He’s single. / He’s unmarried. He’s unmarried. / He’s married.

pp.8-9

NOTES (3) Semantics concentrates on the similarities b/w languages rather than on the differences. (p.11) > there are parallels among languages e.g. as strong as a horse (E) =>

A leopard cannot change its spots. (E) => > Purpose: to make general statements about languages e.g. Idioms / proverbs in different languages can convey the same concepts, but

Language

sounds

word formation

structures

meanings

Meaning = an aspect / component of language > Sentence/ Word meaning = > Speaker meaning > meaning carried by words affected by a speaker’s will >

E.g.1 Situation A: Where can we find a peacock? Situation B: (mother to daughter who brought her boyfriend home) “Where did you find that peacock?”

Question: In which situation can you find the speaker meaning? E.g.2 Situation C: Ann: Try this cake. Is it delicious? Tom: Yeah! You’re quite a good cook.

Situation D Kim (daughter): I’m sorry, dad. The rice’s burnt again.

Jack (father): You’re quite a good cook, dear!

MEANING Literal

Non-literal

▪ Literal meaning → found in dictionaries (e.g. “peacock 1”) ▪ Non-literal meaning → in actual use, in utterances (sarcasm, irony, metaphor,… => ▪ Linguistic context → actual words / sentences that precede or follow an utterance - We need to fix a date for the next meeting. - This date tastes sweet. Can I have another?

▪ Situational context → situation, background knowledge, physical context (where, when, who,…) - The Red Khmer is accused of genocide.

p.6

pp. 16-24

III. SENTENCE, UTTERANCE, PROPOSITION 1.

=> Which has meaning? Which is a sentence? e.g. She put my books on the counter. She put my book. On the counter. A sentence => - a grammatically complete string of words

-

An utterance =>

2.

- what is said by any speaker, before and after another person begins to speak (“_”) -

=> Identify the utterances: E.g. Susan: Peter: Susan: Peter: Susan:

“Nice day today. Going out?” “No. I’d rather stay indoors. Coffee?” “Yes, no sugar.” “I know. You don’t like anything sweet.” “No.”

3. => How many basic meanings are there in this simple sentence?

E.g. Mary’s friend, Carol’s brother, is a married lawyer. - Mary has a friend. - Carol has a brother. - This brother is Mary’s friend. => 5 propositions

A proposition => - the basic meaning which a sentence expresses - part of the meaning of the utterance of a declarative sentence which describes some state of affairs

NOTES: 1. A proposition (of a declarative sentence) can be TRUE or FALSE. (p.20) e.g. I found lots of coconut palms in Ben Tre province. He found lots of coconut palms in London. 2. The notion of TRUTH decides whether 2 sentences express the same proposition. e.g. (a) I found lots of coconut palms in BT province. (b) Lots of coconut palms are found in BT province. (c) Mrs Miller was killed. (d) Mrs Miller is still alive.

p.20

3. Sentences of different languages (p.22) => may have the same proposition e.g. My name is Alice./ Toâi teân Alice./ Je m’appelle Alice. 4. Different sentences => same proposition (p.20) e.g. The porters have shut the gates.

5. A question can be uttered with a proposition, but without a TRUTH VALUE. e.g. Are you a student? =>

Core meaning of a proposition

6. A declarative sentence + its corresponding interrogative / imperative one => same propositional content (p.22) No truth value e.g. The porters have shut the gates. Have the porters shut the gates?

Ask the porters to shut the gates! => referring to the action of shutting the gate

Exercise: Identify the propositions in these utterances. 1. “Malaria – a dangerous, infectious disease spread by mosquitoes – is usually found in the tropics.” 2. “Jack’s girlfriend, Jane, who is a nurse, is working at Central Hospital.” 3. “The tall, stately building collapsed after an earthquake.” 4. “After almost six months of closure and strict lock downs, New York City museums are finally reopening.” 5. “On July 30, 1976, Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner, won gold in the men’s decathlon at the Montreal Olympics.”

sense

form

referent

Form-sense rel. =>

form

sense

referent

=> no reason for naming a concept, e.g. => agreement

sense

form

Sense-referent rel. =>

referent

=> no simple correlation of one referent – one sense e.g.

sense

form

Form-referent rel. =>

referent

=> label (form) is given after a concept for a referent has been framed (i.e. via concept) e.g.

A. Relationships b/w Form-Referent (= reference) (p.27) B. Relationships b/w Form-Sense (p.29) C. Relationships b/w Sense-Reference (p.31) D. Relationships b/w ReferenceUtterance (p.33)

A. Relationships b/w Form-Referent (= reference) (p.27) Examples 1. one expression – different referents > variable reference 2. one expression – unique referent > constant reference 3. different expressions – same referent

B. Relationships b/w Form-Sense (p.29) Examples 4. different expressions – one sense > synonymous words 5. one expression – different senses > polysemous / homonymous words 6. one sentence – different senses > ambiguous structure

Examples 7. expressions in different languages / dialects – same sense > same proposition

C. Relationships b/w Sense-Reference (p.31) => Every expression in language has sense BUT not all expressions have REFERENCE Examples 8. with sense – w/o reference > abstract notions > imagery entities > non-existent entities

D. Relationships b/w Reference-Utterance (p.33)

Examples 9. same utterance – different reference > variable reference

Practice 1 (p.28)

Practice 2 (p.29)

Practice 3 (p.31)

SUMMARY In everyday conversation, the words meaning, means, mean, meant, etc. can be used to indicate Reference or Sense. (p.33)