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2.2 The Scope of Semantics
The scope of semantics is about the meaning itself in linguistics. Meaning of linguistics object can be various. Some peoples may have different analysis on the meaning
of linguistics object because there is no general agreement about the nature of meaning or the way in which it should be described. No one knows facts of meaning are relevant to
semantics when adequate Semantics description of a natural language must record the first of the meaning.
The study of meaning become significant at the early twentieth century, many linguists study language without reference to meaning. A linguist description tends to reduce
into three are the least two major approaches to the way in which meaning in language is studied, each of which is often very influential in determining which facts of meaning are
relevant for Semantics. There are various approaches to semantics but there are three basic terms that have
been widely mention in each of the approaches, they are: meaning, sense, and reference.
2.3 Meaning
Meaning plays a very important role in communication. There would be no language without meaning. The word meaning has a number of definitions by the Semanticist. Some of
them are as follows;
Leech 1976 notes three points of meaning, they are; 1
Meaning involves to the speaker’s attention to convey a certain meaning that may be or may not be evidence from the meaning itself.
2 Consequently, interpretation by the hearer is likely to depend on the context.
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3 Meaning in the sense is something, which is performed rather than something
that exists in a static way. It involves action the speaker produces and effect on the hearer and interaction the meaning being negotiated between the
speaker and the hearer on the basis of their mutual language.
Richard 1985:172 states “meaning is what language expresses about the world we live in or any possible or imagery word”.
Lyons 1977:2 says that “the meaning can be distinguished by the technique of
substituting other words in the same context and enquiry whether the resulting sentences are equivalent”.
2.4 Sense and Reference
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