Staff Site Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Introduction to Linguistics
Week 9
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
1
Semantics
Meanings of Words and
Sentences
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
2
Definition
The study of the linguistic meaning of
words and sentences; the component
of the grammar which specifies these
meanings
Two components of meaning:
meanings of the parts (lexical meaning)
meanings of the combinations (phrase
meaning)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
3
Analyze the following sentences
The rock ate my lunch.
The giraffe ate the hyena.
The giraffe ate one hundred
pounds of grass today.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
4
Pragmatics & Semantics
Semantics → things are true by the
DEFINITIONS and RULES
Pragmatics → things are true by virtue
of the REAL WORLD
Which of the above sentences are
semantically/pragmatically OK?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
5
Lexical Meaning
What is the meaning of an assassin?
→ someone who kills someone who is
prominent
What about:
- bachelor?
- mother?
- lioness?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
6
Denotation & Connotation
Denotation
→ the set of entities to which a word or
expression refers (also called
referent/extension)
e.g. winter
- snow, bitter cold, short evenings,
frozen fingertips, and the like.
- the season stretching from December
to March
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
7
Connotation
→ the set of associations that a word’s
use can evoke
e.g. winter
- the season between autumn and
spring ( regardless of whether it is
cold and unpleasant)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
8
Phrase Meaning
The meanings of combinations of words
are largely the products of the
combinations of the meanings of the
words:
meaning (A+B) = meaning (A) + meaning
(B)
e.g.
As someone said, a big mouse is still
smaller than a small elephant.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
9
Semantic Features
woman, mother, widow
What characteristics do they share?
human female marrie
d
woman
+
+
+/-
mother
+
+
+/-
widow
+
+
-
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
10
Try This …
Write the semantic features of:
1.
lioness, ewe, mare
2.
walk, arrive, leave
3.
table, chair, stove
4.
giant, bear, castle
5.
Woman, girl, man, boy
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
11
Semantic Relations among
Words
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
12
Synonyms
→ two words with the same semantic
features (meaning) but which sound
different
e.g. sofa – couch
youth – adolescent
purchase - buy
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
13
Homonyms
→ two words that sound (or are spelled)
the same but have different semantic
features (meaning)
e.g. bear – bare
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
14
Polysemy
→ one word with multiple related
meanings
e.g. bright
shinning
intelligent
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
15
Consider the following
Jane married Bill.
Jane and Bill married.
Lanny married Jane and Bill.
Lanny married Jane.
John rented the house to Bill.
John rented the house.
Bill rented the house from John.
Bill rented the house.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
16
Antonyms
What is the antonym of bachelor?
Adult
Unmarried
Human
Male
?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
17
husband
spinster
Adult
Married
Human
Male
Adult
Unmarried
Human
Female
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
Antonyms are
NOT words with
totally different
meanings, but
words which are
different along
ONE DIMENSION
18
Kinds of Antonyms
Complementary pairs (X, not X)
e.g. dead-alive, awake-asleep
Gradable pairs (opposite sides of a
scale)
e.g. hot-cold, big-small, warm-cool
Relational opposites (opposite roles
in a relation)
e.g. teacher-pupil, buy-sell
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
19
Semantic Relations Involving
Sentences
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
20
Paraphrase
Two sentences that can have the same
meaning
e.g.
The police chased the burglar.
The burglar was chased by the police.
I gave the summons to Chris.
It is unfortunate that the team lost.
The game will begin at 3.00 p.m.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
21
Entailment
A relation in which the truth of one
sentence necessarily implies the
truth of another
The park wardens killed the tiger.
The tiger is dead.
mutual
September 5, 20
Robin is a man.
Robin is human.
asymmetrical
intro2ling/ssn2007
22
Contradiction
If one sentence is true, the other
one must be false
Two sentences which both cannot
be true
e.g.
Charles is a bachelor.
Charles is married.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
23
Thematic Roles
In the case of sentences, the parts of
the sentence play specific roles in the
meaning, as determined by the verb
e.g.
John
put the book
on the table.
Agent
Theme Goal (Location)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
24
Some Thematic Roles
Agent → doer of action
Theme → thing done to
Location → place
Source → original place
Goal → destination place
Instrument → something that aids Agent
in doing
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
25
Determine the thematic roles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The park wardens killed the tiger.
Paul bought a car from Sue.
The premier entertained the guests in
the lounge.
The boy carried the red brick from the
wall to the wagon.
Max went from being a rational
gentleman to being a stark raving
maniac.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
26
Upcoming Next Week …
Sociolinguisti
cs
Language and Culture
Language and Gender
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
27
Week 9
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
1
Semantics
Meanings of Words and
Sentences
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
2
Definition
The study of the linguistic meaning of
words and sentences; the component
of the grammar which specifies these
meanings
Two components of meaning:
meanings of the parts (lexical meaning)
meanings of the combinations (phrase
meaning)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
3
Analyze the following sentences
The rock ate my lunch.
The giraffe ate the hyena.
The giraffe ate one hundred
pounds of grass today.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
4
Pragmatics & Semantics
Semantics → things are true by the
DEFINITIONS and RULES
Pragmatics → things are true by virtue
of the REAL WORLD
Which of the above sentences are
semantically/pragmatically OK?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
5
Lexical Meaning
What is the meaning of an assassin?
→ someone who kills someone who is
prominent
What about:
- bachelor?
- mother?
- lioness?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
6
Denotation & Connotation
Denotation
→ the set of entities to which a word or
expression refers (also called
referent/extension)
e.g. winter
- snow, bitter cold, short evenings,
frozen fingertips, and the like.
- the season stretching from December
to March
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
7
Connotation
→ the set of associations that a word’s
use can evoke
e.g. winter
- the season between autumn and
spring ( regardless of whether it is
cold and unpleasant)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
8
Phrase Meaning
The meanings of combinations of words
are largely the products of the
combinations of the meanings of the
words:
meaning (A+B) = meaning (A) + meaning
(B)
e.g.
As someone said, a big mouse is still
smaller than a small elephant.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
9
Semantic Features
woman, mother, widow
What characteristics do they share?
human female marrie
d
woman
+
+
+/-
mother
+
+
+/-
widow
+
+
-
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
10
Try This …
Write the semantic features of:
1.
lioness, ewe, mare
2.
walk, arrive, leave
3.
table, chair, stove
4.
giant, bear, castle
5.
Woman, girl, man, boy
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
11
Semantic Relations among
Words
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
12
Synonyms
→ two words with the same semantic
features (meaning) but which sound
different
e.g. sofa – couch
youth – adolescent
purchase - buy
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
13
Homonyms
→ two words that sound (or are spelled)
the same but have different semantic
features (meaning)
e.g. bear – bare
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
14
Polysemy
→ one word with multiple related
meanings
e.g. bright
shinning
intelligent
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
15
Consider the following
Jane married Bill.
Jane and Bill married.
Lanny married Jane and Bill.
Lanny married Jane.
John rented the house to Bill.
John rented the house.
Bill rented the house from John.
Bill rented the house.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
16
Antonyms
What is the antonym of bachelor?
Adult
Unmarried
Human
Male
?
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
17
husband
spinster
Adult
Married
Human
Male
Adult
Unmarried
Human
Female
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
Antonyms are
NOT words with
totally different
meanings, but
words which are
different along
ONE DIMENSION
18
Kinds of Antonyms
Complementary pairs (X, not X)
e.g. dead-alive, awake-asleep
Gradable pairs (opposite sides of a
scale)
e.g. hot-cold, big-small, warm-cool
Relational opposites (opposite roles
in a relation)
e.g. teacher-pupil, buy-sell
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
19
Semantic Relations Involving
Sentences
September 5, 2017
intro2ling/ssn2007
20
Paraphrase
Two sentences that can have the same
meaning
e.g.
The police chased the burglar.
The burglar was chased by the police.
I gave the summons to Chris.
It is unfortunate that the team lost.
The game will begin at 3.00 p.m.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
21
Entailment
A relation in which the truth of one
sentence necessarily implies the
truth of another
The park wardens killed the tiger.
The tiger is dead.
mutual
September 5, 20
Robin is a man.
Robin is human.
asymmetrical
intro2ling/ssn2007
22
Contradiction
If one sentence is true, the other
one must be false
Two sentences which both cannot
be true
e.g.
Charles is a bachelor.
Charles is married.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
23
Thematic Roles
In the case of sentences, the parts of
the sentence play specific roles in the
meaning, as determined by the verb
e.g.
John
put the book
on the table.
Agent
Theme Goal (Location)
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
24
Some Thematic Roles
Agent → doer of action
Theme → thing done to
Location → place
Source → original place
Goal → destination place
Instrument → something that aids Agent
in doing
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
25
Determine the thematic roles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The park wardens killed the tiger.
Paul bought a car from Sue.
The premier entertained the guests in
the lounge.
The boy carried the red brick from the
wall to the wagon.
Max went from being a rational
gentleman to being a stark raving
maniac.
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
26
Upcoming Next Week …
Sociolinguisti
cs
Language and Culture
Language and Gender
September 5, 20
intro2ling/ssn2007
27