1. LING1001: Semantics I S.Matthews ‘That’s just semantics’ – George Bush, Senior

2. Defining semantics The study of meaning in natural language Natural languages: human languages which develop without conscious planning Artificial languages: invented languages like Esperanto and Quenya; Computer languages like LISP and C++

3. The meanings of ‘meaning’ Daddy, what does unique mean? gwailou means ‘foreign devil’ When she says ‘go2 go3 seoi1gwai2’ she means you (she’s referring to you) I don't mean to interfere (it’s not my intention) When he sulks it means he’s depressed (it’s an indication)

4. Sense versus reference Sense: the concept associated with a word (or phrase), which determines how it is used Reference: the use of a word (or phrase) to pick out something in the world

5. Ogden & Richards' Triangle (The Meaning of Meaning,1946): THOUGHT / \ (Sense) \ / \ WORDS - - - - - - - - - - WORLD (Reference) Reference as an indirect relationship, mediated by thought

6. Grammatical vs. Meaningful Sincerity breeds procrastination Colourless green ideas sleep furiously - These are grammatical sentences, according to Chomsky - If grammar is not the problem, meaning is

7. Semantic features [+Animate]: human or animal, capable of of intentional action Sleep: subject must be [+animate] Ideas: [-animate]

8. Semantic roles the roles played by participants in situations: “If you’re going to break up, it’s better to be the leaver than the leavee. Because the leaver gets to leave, but the leavee gets left.” (Woody Allen, Everyone says I love you) Verb: leave: v.t. Thematic roles: leaver, leavee -er as agentive suffix: employer (one who pays) -ee as patient suffix: employee (someone who is employed)

9. Semantic roles: agent It was designed by Armani Armani designed it \ / Agent \ It was brilliantly designed (by Armani) Agent: the participant in control of an event An agent is always implied in the passive

10. Semantic roles: patient Floods devastated New Orleans / Patient / New Orleans was devastated by the flood Patient: a participant affected by an event

11. Semantic roles: experiencer Dogs frighten Alicia Alicia is afraid of dogs \ / Experiencer / \ Sie gefällt ihm He likes her She pleases him (German) Experiencer: aware but not in control

12. Semantic roles: recipient She sent me pictures of the wedding | Recipient | I’ll ICQ you the phone number Recipient: becomes possessor

13. Summary Meaning has many meanings We distinguish the sense of an expression (what meaning it has) from its reference (what it refers to) Semantic roles: roles played by participants in events; relate semantics to syntax Next lecture: lexical relations

14. References Hofmann, Th.R. (1993) Realms of meaning: An Introduction to Semantics. Longman. Leech, Geoffrey (1974) Semantics. Penguin Lyons, John (1995) An Introduction to Linguistic Semantics. Cambridge University Press. Saeed, John (1997). Semantics. Blackwell.