This approach investigated semantics structure of the sentence. The second is Philosophical approach. Philosopher has investigated the relation between
linguistic expression such as the word of language, person, and things and event in the world to which these words refers. Although there are maybe different
approaches to semantics, three basic terms seem to be widely mentioned in each of this approach. I.e. Meaning, Sense, References.
2.2.1 Meaning
Meaning of words absolutely plays a role in communication since without meaning there will be no good desired interaction.
There are some definitions, which are given by semanticists about what meaning is, they are:
a. Leech 1969: 5 says,” The aim of semantics is to explain and describe
meaning in the natural language”. b.
Lyons 1979: 2 says, “The meaning can be distinguished by the technique of substituting others word in the same context and enquiry
whether the resulting sentence are equivalent.” Meaning is described as the message that is intended or expressed or
signified; and the idea that is intended. The term meaning is simple derived from the word mean. It is a fact that the verb to mean and the noun meaning have many
distinguishable meanings. In every day English, we use the word mean in a number different ways:
a. That was no mean insignificant accomplishment
b. That are so mean cruel to me
Universitas Sumatera Utara
c. This will mean result in the end of the second class citizen ship
d. Without ice cream, life wouldn’t mean anything have any purpose
e. I mean intend to help[ if I can
f. Keep of the grass, this means refers to you
g. His losing his job means indicates fine tobacco
h. Lucky strike means indicates fine tobacco
i. Those clouds mean are a the sign of rain
j. She doesn’t mean believe what he said
k. Procrastinate means ? “ to put this thing of”
l. In saying that, she meant ? that we should leave.
The word mean in a to j has their “equivalence” in another word, while in the same word in k or l does not. The last two sentences, in fact, exemplify
two importantly different short of meaning, i.e. Linguistic meaning and speaker meaning. In k procrastinate has a linguistic meaning of to put things off While in
l meant refers to speaker intention or what message the speaker intends to say in her word.
Speaker meaning can be said as speaker means in producing utterance. In some form of language, generally, linguistics meaning of an expression is simply
the meaning or meaning of that expression we can see it below: a. He likes to run.
b. The machines run well. c. They run a mail-order house.
From the example above, it can be seen that the word run has more than one linguistic-meaning. In the first sentence the word run means ‘walk fast’.
Universitas Sumatera Utara
Then, in the second sentence means ‘work’, and in the third run means ‘manage or organize’.
However, in using language, a speaker may use a word to mean something different from what it literally means as understood in the following:
Gray 1984: 114 says, “Literal meaning of statement is its most exact, precise and limited, meaning, without attention to secondary or symbolic meaning
metaphorical meaning, etc” Based on the quotation above, it can be said that each meaning of words
used in utterances or expression has lexical meanings or most exact to what the dictionary says, without attention to figurative meanings. If a meaning of an
expression used is literal sense, of course, it can be easily interpreted.
2.2.2 Sense and Reference
