Linguistic Concepts Quiz

Semantics: Making Meaning with Words

• Semantics is the study of how we construct and understand the meaning of words and groups of words (clauses, sentences, etc.) as well as the system of rules underlying knowledge of word and sentence meaning.
• Students will be able to define the meaning of semantics.
• Students will be able to understand making meaning 1: lexical semantic features.
• Students will be able to describe types of meaning.
• Students will be able to elaborate on semantic fields.
• Students will be able to analyze semantic features.
• Students will be able to identify the nyms (relationships among words).
• Students will be able to explain figurative language.

Objectives

• At the end of the lesson, students should be able to define the meaning of semantics.
• Students should be able to explain making meaning 1: lexical
• Students should be able to describe types of meaning
• Students should be able to elaborate on semantic field
• Students should be able to analyze semantic features
• Students should be able to identify the nyms (relationships among words)
• Students should be able to explain figurative language and meaning making

Definition

• Semantics is the study of meaning in language.
• It encompasses the meanings of individual words, phrases, and sentences.

Making Meaning 1: Lexical Semantic

• Meaning is formed by combining knowledge of phonology or sound system, morphology or internal structure of words, and syntax or sentence structure.

Conceptual and Associative Meaning

• Conceptual/Referential: The basic, literal meaning of a word. (Meaning found in dictionaries).
  • Example: A needle is a thin, sharp, metallic instrument.
• Associative/Emoitive: Meaning influenced by an individual’s mental associations. (Meaning varies depending on person).
  • Example: A needle depending on individual might bring different interpretations or associations like – illness, drugs or knitting.

Lexical Semantic: Semantic Features

• Semantic features are essential components of a noun's meaning.
  • Concrete Nouns: Refer to objects in the physical world (e.g., dog, house)
  • Abstract Nouns: Refer to ideas or concepts (e.g., freedom, justice)
  • Count Nouns: Can be pluralized (e.g., book, cat)
  • Noncount Nouns: Cannot be pluralized (e.g., rice, water)
  • Common Nouns: General terms with multiple instances (e.g., bird, car)
  • Proper Nouns: Specific names of unique entities (e.g., Mount Everest, John Doe)
  • This also involves nouns which are only singular in form, such as scissors.

Count and Noncount Nouns

• Count nouns are those that can be quantified, such as dog, car, puppy, and country
• Noncount nouns are those that cannot be quantified, such as rice, jewelry, furniture, fruit, love, and indignation.
  • Notice that many nouns can be both a count and a noncount noun. Example: paper.

Pluralia tantum

• Nouns that only exist in the plural form, (e.g., jeans, scissors, trousers)

Common and Proper Nouns

• Common nouns refer to general categories (e.g., book, dog)
• Proper nouns refer to specific individuals, places, or things (e.g., Harry Potter, the Louvre)

Semantic Deviance

• Anomalous means deviating from expected meaning. (Despite breaking expected meaning, these words still maintain certain syntactic and morphological structure).

Meaning Subclassifications/Semantic Fields

• Semantic fields are groups of related words sharing a common theme (example, Colors- red, blue, green).
• Classifications help categorize and understand meaning within mental lexicons.

Types of Meaning in Semantic Fields

• Referential Meaning: Relationship between words and real-world objects.
• Social Meaning: Indication of social relationships and contexts.
• Affective Meaning: Emotional and attitudinal value of words.

Semantic Fields in Different Languages

• Different languages categorize meaning differently.
• Some languages have more or fewer words for specific categories to reflect cultural relevance.
  • Example; Inuit languages have multiple words for "snow", reflecting cultural relevance.

Meaning Relationships, The Nyms

• Nyms are relationships among words.
• Categories within nyms include:
  • Antonymy: Opposite meanings. (Gradable and complementary pairs).
    • Gradable: Example, big vs small (different degrees on a scale).
    • Complementary: Example, dead vs alive (mutually exclusive).
  • Synonymy: Similar meanings. (Words vary in formality vs informality).
  • Hyponymy: Inclusion relationships. (Superordinate vs subordinate relations).
    • Example: Animal vs dog vs poodle.
  • Polysemy: Related meanings. (Multiple related meanings to the same word).
    • Example: The sun shining and a bright student
  • Homonymy: Identical sound but different meanings. (Homophones and homographs)

Homonymy

• Homophones : Words with identical pronunciation but different spelling and meanings (e.g., sole/soul).
• Homographs : Words with identical spelling but different pronunciation and meanings (e.g., lead/lead).

Euphemism

• A polite expression used instead of harsher words

Examples of Euphemisms

• Replacement for "Secretary", "Executive Assistant"
• Replacement for "School", "Academy /Conservatory"
• Replacement for "Boss", "Manager/Supervisor /Director"
• Replacement for "Garbage Collector", "Sanitation Worker"
• Replacement for "Poor", "Underprivileged /Financially Challenged"

Polysemy - Related Meanings

• Polysemy - A word with multiple related meanings.
• Example: "Bright" - referring to light/intelligence is related and connects under a broader theme of brightness.

Making Meaning: Figurative Language

• Figurative language is non-literal, shifting meaning, providing a way to express a broader range of meaning than simply the primary definition.
  • Metaphor: comparison of two unlike things without connecting words
  • Simile: Comparison of two unlike things using words such as "like" or "as".
  • Personification: Attribution of human traits to non-human subjects
  • Synesthesia: Description of one sensation by referring to another sensory experience
  • Metonymy: a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept
  • Synecdoche: A type of metonymy in which a part of something refers to the whole.
• Idioms: Unique expressions with non literal meanings.
  • Example idioms: break a leg, kick the bucket.