Meaning and Definition in Semantics

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What is the primary focus of Chapter 2?

The distinction between cognitive and extensional definitions

The importance of dictionary definitions

The role of definition in the description of meaning (correct)

The role of synonymy in definition

What is the initial question that needs to be addressed before defining language units?

What are the meaning-bearing units of the language? (correct)

What is the place of definition in semantics generally?

What forms should definitions take?

Can definitions be grounded in a set of semantic primitives?

What type of definition involves defining a term by providing an example of its use?

Definition by synonymy

Definition by ostension

Definition by genus and differentia

Definition by context and typical exemplar (correct)

What is the distinction made in section 2.3.1?

Between real and nominal definitions Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of exploring meaning on, above, and below the word level?

To identify the meaning-bearing units of the language Signup and view all the answers

What is the main question that section 2.2 addresses?

What are the meaning-bearing units of the language? Signup and view all the answers

What is the common assumption about how our brains construct phrases and sentences?

Our brains store a lexicon of words and associated meanings Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary task of linguistic semantics according to the view presented?

To specify the stored meaning representation associated with each lexeme Signup and view all the answers

What is the process of mapping ideas onto stored meaning representations in the mental lexicon called?

Lexical access Signup and view all the answers

What role have dictionaries played since the sixteenth century?

An extremely important role in the way we think about and use our own language Signup and view all the answers

What is the approach to definition that starts with a language's individual lexemes?

Semasiological approach Signup and view all the answers

What is lexicography, according to Landau?

A practical way of doing something useful Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the stock of words and associated meanings in the brain?

Mental lexicon Signup and view all the answers

What is the approach to definition that starts with a particular meaning and lists the various forms available for its expression?

Onomasiological approach Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of linguistic semantics?

Understanding the meanings of words Signup and view all the answers

What is language comparable to?

A sum of impressions deposited in the brain of each community member Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of language, according to the text?

It exists independently of individuals, yet is common to all Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between lexicography and linguistic semantics?

They are complementary fields that inform each other Signup and view all the answers

What is a limitation of defining a word by its connections with other words?

It leaves the essential nature of the definiendum's meaning to be worked out by the definition's addressee Signup and view all the answers

What does the definiendum refer to in a dictionary entry or logical system?

A word or phrase being defined Signup and view all the answers

What is required for a definition to be considered accurate in most semantic theories?

Substitution of the definiens for the definiendum must be truth preserving in all contexts Signup and view all the answers

Why may defining a word by its connections with other words be unsuccessful as an extensional definition?

Because it leaves the essential nature of the definiendum's meaning to be worked out by the definition's addressee Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a word that has multiple meanings, according to the passage?

Mad Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of defining a word by situating it in a system of wider relations?

To see the specificity of the definiendum's meaning Signup and view all the answers

What is a key role of definitions in the law?

To clarify the meaning of terms like murder, contract, or fraud Signup and view all the answers

Why might a definition of 'water' as H2O be ineffective?

Because the addressee lacks knowledge of chemistry Signup and view all the answers

What is the usual case for ordinary conversations and language use?

Definitions are only needed to resolve confusion Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between concepts and word meanings?

Concepts correspond to word meanings Signup and view all the answers

What is suggested about the nature of concepts?

They are essentially definitional Signup and view all the answers

What activates during language use, according to the passage?

The definition which is in some sense activated Signup and view all the answers