1. INTRODUCTION TO SEMANTICS DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES
Samuel Adegboyega University
P.M.B 001 Ehor road, Ogwa, Edo State.
INTRODUCTION TO SEMANTICS BY
DR. AKPATI, C.F
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

2. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria
Course Outline
- Introduction to SEMANTICS - BASIC CONCEPTS IN SEMANTICS: SENTENCE MEANING AND UTTERANCE MEANING, SEMANTIC FIELD AND SEMANTIC EXTENSION - LEXICAL SENSE RELATIONS: - SYNONYMY - ANTONYMY - HYPONYMY - MERONYMY - COLLOCATIONS - THEORIES OF MEANING: - IMAGE THEORY - REFERENTIAL THEORY - BEHAVIOURIST THEORY - AMBIGUITY AND VAGUENESS CONTEXT ETC
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

3. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria
INTRODUCTION
SEMANTICS DEALS WITH LINGUISTIC MEANING I.E MEANING OF WORDS, LINGUISTIC STRUCTURES. MEANING CAN BE PRODUCED THROUGH HOW HUMAN BEINGS RELATE UTTERANCES TO HISTORICAL , CULTURAL, SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND EXPERIENCES. ACCORDING TO CRUSE (2000), THERE ARE THREE ASPECTS OF MEANING: SPEAKER’S MEANING, HEARER’S MEANING AND SIGN MEANING.
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

4. BASIC CONCEPTS IN SEMANTICS
SENTENCE AND UTTERANCE MEANINGS: SENTENCE MEANING IS MORE OF SURFACE MEANING OF WORDS AND UTTERANCES WHILE UTTERANCE MEANING ON THE OTHER HAND, MEAN MORE THAN WHAT IS BEING SAID AT THE SURFACE LEVEL. EG SPEAKER A: WILL YOU BE COMING TO MY HOUSE TOMORROW? SPEARKER B: TOMORROW IS ELECTION THE UTTERANCE MEANING OF THE ABOVE RESPONSE BY SPEAKER B IS THAT HE WILL NOT BE COMING. II SEMANTIC FIELD; THIS IS TERM IN SEMANTICS THAT DESCRIBES HOW WORDS THAT ARE RELATED IN A SET ARE GROUPED TOGETHER. E.G BABY… CHILD…TODDLER….TEENAGER….ADOLESCENSE
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

5. BASIC CONCEPTS IN SEMANTICS CONT.
Semantic extension: this has to do with an extension of meaning of a word to include other meanings which will not normally be associated with it. Collocations, metaphors, similes and figurative expressions are aspect of semantic extensions. E.g virus, notebook, page, browse, window, chart
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

6. Lexical sense relations
Synonymy: this means meaning relation that is obtained between lexical items that have similar meaning in some context e.g investigate & examine begin & start clear & plain/transparent Antonymy: this is the relationship of oppositness in meaning between two items e.g long/ short wide/narrow
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

7. Gradable antonyms: good/bad, wide/narrow
Types of antonyms:
Gradable antonyms: good/bad, wide/narrow
(b) complimentary antonyms e.g single/married
© converse antonyms e.g buy/sell, husband /wife
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

8. LEXICAL SENSE RELATIONS CONT.
COLLOCATIONS: COLLOCATION IS MEANING RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL LEXICAL ITEMS THAT CO- OCCUR HABITUALLY. E.G LIBRARY AND BOOKS MERONYMY: THIS IS WHEN SOME OTHER RELATIONSHIPS ARE SEEN AS PART OF THE WHOLE. E.G CAR CABURATOR RADIATOR 2
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

9. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria
THEORIES OF MEANINGS
IMAGE THEORY: THE THEORY REDUCES THE MEANING OF A WORD TO A QUESTION OF THE IMAGE THE WORD CALLS FORTH IN THE HEARER OR SPEAKER’S BRAIN. ONE BASIC PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY IS THAT A WORD MAY CALL FORTH DIFFERENT IMAGES. REFERENTIAL THEORY OF MEANING: THIS EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF A WORD IN TERMS OF THE RELATION BETWEEN THE WORD AND THE OBJECTS TO WHICH IT REFERS. THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORD AND OBJECT(S) IS KNOWN AS THE RELATIONSHIP OF REFERENCE AND THE VIEW WHICH REDUCES THE QUESTION OF MEANING TO THE NOTION OF REFERENCE IS CALLED EXTENSIONALISM. BEHAVIOURIST THEORY: THIS EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF A LINGUISTIC FORM AS THE SITUATION IN WHICH THE SPEAKER UTTERS IT AND THE RESPONSE WHICH IT CALLS FORTH IN THE HEARER.
Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

10. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

11. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

12. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

13. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

14. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

15. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

16. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

17. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

18. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

19. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

20. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

21. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

22. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria

23. Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria