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Refer to BCO_Semantics
Semantics
semantics → Greece
sema (noun) which means ‘symbol’ or
‘sign’
semaino (verb) which means ‘signify’
…meaning???
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Semantics
1. Conceptual meaning
2. Connotative meaning
3. Social meaning
4. Affective meaning
5. Reflected meaning
6. Collocative meaning
7. Thematic meaning
Conceptual Meaning
Definition:
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Connotative Meaning
Definition:
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Social Meaning
Definition:
Prosad (2009):
“Come on yaar, be a sport. Don’t be Lallu.”
• the social meaning can be that of Indian young close friends.
Social Meaning
Other examples from you … ???
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Affective Meaning
Definition:
Other examples:
• “You are a vicious tyrant and a villainous
reprobation and I hate you!”
• “I hate you, you idiot!”
• “I am terribly sorry but if you would be so kind as
to lower your voice a little.”
Affective Meaning
Other examples from you … ???
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Reflected Meaning
Definition:
Words:
Daffodils (1807) “The could not but be gay
In such jocund company”
Product Names:
IRISH SPRING deodorant soap
Newspapers headlines:
THE ZAMBIAN OIL INDUSTRY: NOT JUST A PIPE DREAM
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Collocative Meaning
Definition:
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Thematic Meaning
Definition:
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Task
In your groups:
• Naming
• Concepts
• Sense and Reference
• Kinds of Meaning
• The Word as a Semantic Unit
(1) Naming
Definition:
But…
• It seems to apply only to nouns; therefore, it seems
impossible to extend the theory of naming to include the
other parts of speech. Adjectives (beautiful)? Verbs (think)?
Prepositions? Conjunctions? Pronouns? Abstract nouns?
Naming
For examples:
• nouns and pronouns: Ali, table, he, them, etc.
• adjectives : beautiful, handsome, difficult, etc.
• verbs : run, think, swim, etc.
• abstract nouns: hate, love
• Prepositions: to, for, in
• Conjunctions: and, because, therefore
Naming
So…
Experience
• objects cannot be clearly grouped and labelled by a single word.
• Sometimes no precise equivalents in other languages.
• For example:
Culture
• The words of a language often reflect not so much the reality of the
world, but the interests of the people who speak it.
• For example: rice
(2) Concept
• Relates them through the mediation of concepts
of the mind.
Symbol :
• the linguistic element, e.g.
word, sentence, etc.
Referent :
• the object, in the world of
• experience
Thought or Reference :
• concept
Concept
Concept
Concept
What is the link between symbol and concept?
• psychological one
our ability and practice of associating one
with the other, e.g. apple.
• some kind of permanent association stored in
the mind or in the brain.
Concept
(3) Sense and Reference
Sense :
Deals with relationships inside the language (intra-
lingustics)
Abstract (concept, non-figurative, instangible)
De-contextualized (isolated from its context)
Reference :
Deals with the relationship between language and the
world
Concrete (real, tangible, solid, physical)
Linguistic element ↔ meta-linguistic world of experience
Sense
(1) Sense in word-form
HAPPY
???
Sense and Reference
For example:
The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger
Strong-willed
Pig-headed
Connotations
• Greasy is a completely innocent word: Some
things, like car engines, need to be greasy.
But greasy contains negative associations for
most people, whether they are talking about food
or about people. Often there are many words
that denote approximately the same thing, but
their connotations are very different.
• Innocent and genuine both denote an absence of
corruption, but the connotations of the two
words are different: innocent is often associated
with a lack of experience, whereas genuine is not.
Implication
Implication is
• something that is suggested without being
communicated directly
• the conclusion that can be drawn from
something, although it is not explicitly stated