Semantics Outline PDF

Semantics 1 Outline Semantics – It is the study of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences. Linguistic semantics deals with the conventional meaning conveyed by the use of words and sentences of a language. WORDS: 1. Containers of meaning (semantic features) 2. Fulfil roles (semantic roles) 3....

Semantics 1 Outline Semantics – It is the study of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences. Linguistic semantics deals with the conventional meaning conveyed by the use of words and sentences of a language. WORDS: 1. Containers of meaning (semantic features) 2. Fulfil roles (semantic roles) 3. Have relationships (lexical relations) Semantic features Decomposing the meanings of words into semantic features can clarify how certain words relate to other words. The hamburger ate the boy. The table listens to the radio. The horse is reading the newspaper. Syntax vs semantics e.g. The hamburger ate the man. This sentence is syntactically perfect: S => NP + VP (V + NP), but the meaning is not acceptable. The verb and the subject do not relate to each other. We identify the meaning by analysing some features. The ___________ is reading the newspaper. N [+human] “Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.” (Noam Chomsky) The sentence is fully grammatical but unacceptable: -SELECTIONAL RELATIONS are violated as the verb ‘sleep’ cannot have an inanimate subject -A FEATURE CONFLICT between the adjectives: ‘colourless’ and ‘green’ -‘furiously’ and ‘sleep’ are incompatible with one another as they violate the co-occurrence restrictions imposed by their conceptual meaning (the former describes actions, the latter is a stative verb) Selectional restrictions of a word are specified in the LEXICAL ENTRY of the word: ‘sleep’: V, [NP +animate] Source: Yule (2009: 101) Ex 1 Ex 2 For each group of words given as follows, state what semantic property or properties distinguish between the classes of (a) words and (b) words. If asked, also indicate a semantic property that the (a) words and the (b) words share. Example: (a) widow, mother, sister, aunt, maid (b) widower, father, brother, uncle, valet The (a) and (b) words are “human.” The (a) words are “female” and the (b) words are “male.” a. (a) bachelor, man, son, paperboy, pope, chief (b) bull, rooster, drake, ram f. (a) walk, run, skip, jump, hop, swim The (a) and (b) words are: (b) fly, skate, ski, ride, cycle, canoe, hang-glide The (a) words are: The (a) and (b) words are: The (b) words are: The (a) words are: The (b) words are: b. (a) table, stone, pencil, cup, house, ship, car (b) milk, alcohol, rice, soup, mud g. (a) ask, tell, say, talk, converse The (a) words are: (b) shout, whisper, mutter, drawl, holler The (b) words are: The (a) and (b) words are: The (a) words are: c. (a) book, temple, mountain, road, tractor The (b) words are: (b) idea, love, charity, sincerity, bravery, fear The (a) words are: h. (a) absent–present, alive–dead, asleep–awake, The (b) words are: married–single (b) big–small, cold–hot, sad–happy, slow–fast d. (a) pine, elm, ash, weeping willow, sycamore The (a) and (b) word pairs are: (b) rose, dandelion, aster, tulip, daisy The (a) words are: The (a) and (b) words are: The (b) words are: The (a) words are: The (b) words are: i. (a) alleged, counterfeit, false, putative, accused (b) red, large, cheerful, pretty, stupid e. (a) book, letter, encyclopedia, novel, notebook, (Hint: Is an alleged murderer always a murderer? dictionary Is a pretty girl always (b) typewriter, pencil, pen, crayon, quill, charcoal, a girl?) chalk The (a) words are: The (a) words are: The (b) words are: The (b) words are: Semantic (=Thematic) roles Thematic roles express the kind of relation that holds between the arguments of the verb and the type of situation that the verb describes. Agent, Theme, Instrument Mary wrote the letter with my pen. a- Agent: The entity that performs the action (Mary). b- Theme: The entity that is involved in or affected by the action (the letter). c- Instrument: The entity that is used by the agent to perform the action (my pen). Experiencer When a noun phrase (as the person) performs an action including a feeling, a perception do not actually perform the action, it happen by itself and you feel it. Mary saw a mosquito on the wall. saw => experiences Mary cooked the meal last night. cooked => agent Location The direction or the place of an entity. Mary saw a mosquito on the wall. => on the wall Source, Goal Source is where an entity moves from and Goal is where an entity moves to, e.g Sally borrowed some Money from Tom bought a birthday present and gave it to Sam. Tom => source Sam => goal Recipient A type of Goal, triggered by verbs give, donate, receive, etc.: I gave my mum a flower My mum received flowers form dad. Percept The entity which is experienced or perceived: Tom saw the accident. The ghost scared me. Benefactive The entity that gains sth, e.g.: I bought this dress for my daughter. She baked a birthday cake for me Patient the entity undergoing an action, e.g.:The cat bit the dog. The boss fired Mary. Source Mary gave a book to Jim (S, Th,G) Jill borrowed a pen from Leo. (G, Th, S) Based on: Yule (2006) The Study of Language (chapter: SEMANTICS) Fromkin et al. (2009) International 9th edition An Introduction to Language (pp. 161-163; 165-166)  Ex 3. Identify the semantic roles of the seven noun phrases in this sentence. With her new golf club, Anne Marshall whacked the ball from the woods to the grassy area near the hole and she suddenly felt invincible. Ex 4. Identify the underlined semantic roles displayed in the sentences below. 1. Tom annoyed Mike. 2. Tom adores Eva. 3. Mike described the painting to Tom. 4. Jack sees the cat. 5. Tom drove towards Łódź. 6. The key opened the gate. 7. Tom sliced the cheese with a knife. 8. Tom gave flowers to his wife. 9. Tom smelled a freshly baked cake. Ex 5. Identify the thematic role(s) of each of the underlined expressions in the following sentences. Note any dual roles. 1. We persuaded Mary to apply for the job as bus driver. 2. Earle has been earning money through his poetry. 3. We were playing a game of monopoly for relaxation. 4. Angela was reading stories to the children this morning. 5. The police suspected him of committing the crime. 6. The climber finally reached the summit of the mountain. 7. I checked a book out of the library yesterday. 8. The accountant made a mistake in the calculations. 9. Jane envies my success. 10. I saw Margaret's friend at the party. 11. He lent his friend some money. 12. He visited California before his marriage. 13. He is lifting weights for his health. 14. The hurricane destroyed the house. 15. His cleverness never ceases to amaze me. 16. A virus got into the computer. 17. The trees lost their leaves. 18. A blood clot killed the patient. 19. They filled the pool with water. 20. Father wrote a check for me. 21. This shoe hurts my foot.