Chapter 5 Semantics Lecturer ： Qi Xiaowen 1

5.1.What is semantics Semantics deals with the study of the linguistic meaning of words, phrases and sentences. 2

5.2 Views concerning the study of meaning The naming theory ( 命名论 ) The conceptualist view （概念论） or conceptual theory Contextualism （语境论） Behaviourism （行为主义） 3

1) The naming theory ( 命名论 ): Words are just names or labels for objects or things. The limitations 4

2) The conceptualist view （概念论） or conceptual theory （语境论） the semantic meaning is defined as the image of the thing the speaker is talking about in his/her mind. Semantic Triangle ( 语义三角形 ) 5

3) Contextualism （语境论） Contextualism is based on the assumption that one can derive meaning from observable contexts. 6

4) Behaviourism （行为主义） Behaviourism is a contextual theory of meaning based on behaviourist psychology. The meaning of a linguistic form is defined as “situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearer” （把语言形式的意义定义为說話人說話語的情 景和話語在听话人头脑中引起的反应） L. Bloomfield 7

Bloomfield’s example is as follows: – Jack and Jill are walking down a lane; Jill sees an apple on a tree and, being hungry, asks Jack to get it foe her; he climbs the tree and gives her the apple; and she eats it. 8

5.3.Sense and Reference lexical meaning Vs grammatical meaning （词汇意义对语法意义） denotation Vs connotation （外延意义对內涵意义） sense vs. reference （意义对指称意义） 9

5.4 Sense Relation Sense relation is the relation between lexical units within the semantic system of a language. Sense relations refer to homonymy, polysemy, synonymy, antonymy and hyponymy. 10

5.5 sense relations between Ss 1.X is synonymous with Y 2.X is inconsistent with Y 3.X entails Y (Y is an entailment of X) 4.X presupposes Y (Y is a prerequisite of X) 5.X is a contradiction. 6.X is semantically anomalous (X is semantically deviant) 11

5.6 Semantic Properties and Componential Analysis （语义特征和成分分析） : The meaning of words can at least partially be specified by its semantic properties or features, and Componential Analysis is a way to analyze word meaning, at least partial meaning. 12

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5.7. Predication Analysis （述謂结构分析） Predication Analysis is a way to analyze sentence meaning. In grammatical analysis, the sentence is taken to be the basic unit, but in semantic analysis of a sentence, the basic unit is called predication, which is actually the abstraction of the meaning of a sentence. 14

– John walks. – John is walking. – John has been walking. – John, walk! – Does John walk? – Did John walk? They are the various grammatical realizations of the same semantic predication: JOHN (WALK) 15

A predication consists of argument(s) （论元） and predicate. Predications may be classified into ： 1.no-place predication （空位述謂结构） (containing no argument) 2.one-place predication （一位元述謂结构） (containing one argument) 3.two-place predication （二位元述謂结构） (containing two arguments) 16