Semantic Slides PDF

SEMANTIC : MAKING MEANING WITH WORDS O BJ EC TI VES At the end of the lesson, students should be able to: 1. Define the meaning of semantics. 2. Making meaning 1: Lexical 3. Describe types of meaning 4. Elaborate the semantic field 5. Analyze semantic features 6. Identify...

SEMANTIC : MAKING MEANING WITH WORDS O BJ EC TI VES At the end of the lesson, students should be able to: 1. Define the meaning of semantics. 2. Making meaning 1: Lexical 3. Describe types of meaning 4. Elaborate the semantic field 5. Analyze semantic features 6. Identify the nyms 7. Making meaning 2 : Explain figurative language DEFINITION  Semantics is the system of rules Semantics is the study of the underlying our knowledge of word meanings of words, phrases and and sentence meaning sentences.  is the study of how we construct (Yule, 2020) and understand the meaning of words and groups of words (clauses, sentences and etc ). (Denham, 2013) In making meaning, we tend to incorporate the knowledge of phonology, morphology and syntax. Meaning can be meaningless and that meanings can deviate from expected meaning but still meaningful. MAKING MEANING 1: LEXICAL SEMANTIC CONCEPTUAL AND ASSOCIATIVE MEANING  CONCEPTUAL/REFERENTIAL ASSOCIATIVE/EMOTIVE Covers those basic, essential meaning hhas to do with individual mental that is actually the literal meaning of the uunderstanding of the speaker words from the dictionary. ee.g: needle for different people might be e.g: needle in the English means thin, associate with drugs, illness, or knitting. sharp and steel instrument. Black: death, boredom, depression, Eg: black exclusivity/premium/classy  LEXICAL SEMANTIC: SEMANTIC FEATURES  Pa rt of stud yi n g se mant i cs i nvol ves an alysi ng a nd des cri bi ng semant ic s cl assi fications Semantic features of nouns : a. Concrete nouns - things in the physical world ( things we can point at). b. Abstract nouns - not physical objects. c. Count and noncount nouns d. Common and proper nouns  COUNT AND NONCOUNT NOUNS COUNT NOUNS NONCOUNT NOUNS Count nouns are those that we can count. Noncount nouns cannot be pluralized, nor can Count nouns can be pluralized, preceded by they occur with numerals or the quantifiers just numerals and certain quantifiers such as each, listed. both, every, few(er), and several. They can, however, occur with quantifiers much, Count nouns: dog, car, puppy, country most, all, and less. Noncount nouns: rice, jewelry, furniture, fruit, love, terrorism, mud, indignation  Noncount nouns Some noncount nouns in U.S. English are morphologically plural, a relationship that is reflected by the verb through subject–verb agreement. mathematics/ethics/linguistics is/*are fun to study. Notice that many nouns can be both count and noncount. For example paper can be count or noncount. Eton bought six papers. Eton bought paper. noncount: Love is patient. count: She had two loves: philosophy and poetry. noncount: Rice is good for you. count: There are many rices to choose from: arborio, jasmine, basmati—to name a few.  P LU R A L I A TA N T U M A noun that appears only in the plural and doesn't ordinarily have a singular form (for example, jeans, pajamas, tweezers, shears, and scissors). Nouns without singular form What are other examples of pluralia tantum?  COMMON AND PROPER NOUN COMMON NOUNS PROPER NOUNS Common nouns are nouns that have more than one referent, or entity to Proper nouns, on the other hand, have only which the noun refers. one referent; they are the names of unique entities. Common: tulip, baseball, brother, horseradish, Proper: Etienne, Harry Potter, the Kentucky language, school, anger Derby, Halloween, Lake Victoria, the Kremlin MAKING M EANIN G SEMANTIC DEVIANCE  ANOMALOUS Colourless green ideas sleep furiously The hamburger ate the boy The rock combed its hair Anomalous means that they deviate from expected meaning. Although the sentence seems like weird and meaningless, but it still doesn’t break syntactic and morphological structure rules. MEANING SUBCLASSIFICATIONS: SEMANTIC FIELDS  Semantic fields refer to groups of words related by meaning. Words in a semantic field share a common theme or domain. Example: Colors (red, blue, green) form a semantic field of colors. Basic classifications of meaning under which words are stored in our mental lexicons. Humans don’t possess the same meanings/interpretations TYPES OF MEANING IN SEMANTIC FIELDS 1. Referential Meaning: Relationship between words and real-world objects. 2. Social Meaning: How words indicate social relationships and contexts. 3. Affective Meaning: Words carrying emotional or attitudinal value.  Semantic Fields in Different Languages Different languages categorize meaning differently. Some languages have more or fewer words for specific categories. Example: Inuit languages have multiple words for 'snow,' reflecting cultural relevance. MEANING RELATIONSHIPS: THE NYMS DE F INITION OF NY MS: Mea n in g rel ati on sh ips a mong w ords  1. OP POSITE MEANING S: AN TONYMY A word opposite in meaning to another or two forms with opposite meanings such as: Hot cold Black white In out WORDS PAIRS OF ANTONY M CAN B E D IVIDED IN TO SE VERAL TYP ES ANTONY M TY PES  GRADABLE ANTONY MS Opposites along a scale in that when someone says, “I am not tall” does not necessarily mean “I am short”. Negative of one member of gradable pair does not necessarily imply the other. For example, the sentence “My car isn’t old”, doesn’t mean “My car is new” Gradable antonyms - such as the pair big/ small can be used in comparative constructions like bigger than = smaller than  COMP LEME NTARY PAIR (N ON-GRADABL E ANTON YMS) Direct opposites and does not present such flexibility Shows clearer contrast For example, when we say “I am married” the only antonym available in this sentence “I am single” If “you are dead, you cannot be alive” If “you are asleep, you are not awake”  REL ATIONAL ANTONY MS Pairs in which each member describes a relationship to other. Pairs which go together For example :- Teacher/student Father/mother Lawyer/client 2. SIM ILAR MEANINGS: SYNONY MY  We should keep in mind that the idea of “sameness” of meaning used in discussing synonymy is not necessarily ” total sameness”. For example : answer and reply  Sandy had only one answer correct on the test × Sandy had only one reply correct on the test Synonymous forms may also differ in terms of formal versus informal uses. For example : “My father purchased a large automobile” ( formal ) has virtually the same meaning as “My dad bought a big car” ( casual or informal version )  MEANING CATEGORIES: HY PONY MY Word whose meaning is included or entailed in the meaning of a more general word. (Denham, 2013) The meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another. ( Yule 3rd edition, 2020) Examples are the pairs : animal/dog, dog/poodle, vegetable/carrot, flower/rose, tree/banyan  The concept of “ inclusion” For example : if an object is a rose, then it is necessarily a flower or, rose is a hyponym of flower. The hyponymous connections, it is often describe using hierarchical diagram, called taxonomy.  DI FFE RENT MEANINGS: HOMONY MY *Words that sound the same but have different (unrelated) meanings are called homonyms (Greek homeos ‘same’, onoma ‘name’). For example: 1. The pain was almost than he could bear ( accept) 2. Even the most crooked apple tree can eventually bear a good fruit. (produce) *Homophones do not share the same spelling, but they do sound the same For example: 1.She was the sole guest remaining in the building as the sisters were off for a Sunday tour of the town. (only) 2. Those blue eyes were boring into her soul, searching for heaven only knew what. (spirit) *Homographs have different meanings , the same spelling but different spelling pronunciations For example: "Advocate" can be pronounced with a long "a" sound and mean “to speak or write in support of” "Advocate" can also be pronounced with a short "a" sound and refer to a person who supports or pleads the cause of another. HOMON YMY HOMON YMY EUPHEMISMS  DE F INITION A polite expression used in place of words or phrases that otherwise might be considered harsh or unpleasant to hear. called doublespeak  E XAMP LES WORD EUPHEMISM secretary Executive assistant school Academy, conservatory boss Manager, supervisor, director Garbage collector Sanitation worker, waste disposal worker Janitor Caretaker, custodian, warden Bathroom Be excused, restroom, public conveniences Fat Chubby, full-figured, plump Remedial Special needs, developmental Poor Underprivileged, unable to make ends meet, modest, financially embarrassed, financially challenged Handicapped Physically disabled, crippled Homeles Displaces, disposed, adrift RELATED MEANINGS: POLYSEMY  A word is polysemy when it has two or more related meanings. (Greek poly ‘many’, semy ‘meanings’). In this case the word takes one form but can be used to mean two different things. In the case of polysemy, these two meanings must be related in some way, and not be two completely unrelated meanings of the word. For example : The sun is dazzlingly bright today ( shining) Sally is bright student in her class ( intelligent) RELATED MEANINGS: POLYSEMY For example, lip is polysemous because we can use it not only to refer to a part of one’s mouth but also in phrases such as lip of the cliff or the lip of a cup, and we also have the expression don’t give me any lip. MAKING MEANINGS: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE MAK IN G N EW M EAN IN G : FI GURAT IVE LAN GUAGE Figurative language is nonliteral language that shifts meaning from the primary meaning of word (the use of words in an unusual or imaginative manner). It provides a tool to express a vast range of meaning beyond the primary meaning of words. However, not all meaning can be expressed through language. Some meaning is better expressed visually, through physical movement, drawings and so on. Types of figurative language includes metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, idioms, onomatopoeia, alliteration and cliches. METAPHOR Metaphor is nonliteral meaning of one word or phrase which describes another word or phrase. It states a fact or draws a verbal picture by the use of comparison. For example: a) he has a heart of stone. - cold and unfriendly. - to be cruel and have no sympathy for people. b) time is money. - we spend it, waste it, lose it, save it, invest it.  TYPES OF METAPHORS Dead Mixed Personification Synesthesia Metonymy metaphors metaphors A) DEAD M ETAPH ORS - Defined as metaphor that is so common that it goes unnoticed as a metaphor. - For instance : I see your point. I’ll take a look at your paper for you. He is blind to new ideas. This computer cost an arm and a leg.  B ) M IXED M ETAP H ORS - Defined as metaphors that comprises parts of different metaphors into one utterance. - Examples of mixed metaphors: Spotted zebras (people do not change and you can find the true person by looking at them) Hit the nail on the jackpot (to achieve a goal of some kind)  C ) P ERSO NIF IC ATION - Attribution of human qualities to something that is not human. - Examples of personification: The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn’t it so? Time and tide waits for none.  D ) S YN ESTH ESIA - A type of metaphorical language in which one kind of sensation is described in terms of another. - It refers to certain medical condition in which one of the five senses simultaneously stimulates another sense. - Examples of synesthesia: There are perfumes fresh like the skin of infants. (described in terms of touch) Back to the region where the sun is silent. (indicates sense of sight and hearing)  E) M ETON YMY - Description of something in terms of something with which it is closely associated. - Examples of metonymy: The suits were at meeting. (the suits stands for business people) Let me give you a hand. (the term hand stands for help) - Metonymy is used to create verbs from nouns. - For instance: She’s planning to serve the dish early in the evening. The White House will be announcing the decision around noon today.  SYNECDOCHE - is a specific type of metonymy in which we use a part of something to refer to the whole thing. - For example: The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man. The word “boots” usually refers to soldiers. The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks. - Synecdoche also involve referring to something by manufacturer, product, material or color. - For example: I like my Honda. (producer for product) Do you take plastic? ( stands for credit cards)  SIMILE Definition: A simile is a comparison, usually of two unlike things, in order to create a nonliteral image. It is figure of speech that directly compares two things through the explicit use of connecting words (such as like, and as).  LIKE something Possible meaning (depending on context) like a rose beautiful like a volcano explosive like garbage disgusting like an animal inhuman AS adjective AS something Meaning  as blind as a bat completely blind  as cold as ice very cold  as flat as a pancake completely flat  as gentle as a lamb very gentle  as snug as a bug in a rug very cozy  as happy as a clam happiness to the contentment  as agile as a monkey can move well NOTE: Simile also usually in poetry, and any other literature forms. Examples that contain famous simile can be see at page 315-316 in Linguistic for Everyone (Denham).  A chip on one’s shoulder Dodge the bullet Champing at the bit Foaming at the mouth Push the envelope Pull the wool over someone’s eyes Tongue in cheek Pull one’s leg  IDIOMS Definition: An idioms is collocation of words or phrases with nonliteral meaning.  NOTE: Idioms in other languages can be completely distinct from those in English, though some have English counterparts, sometimes with interesting twists. Example and translation Meaning  Idioms in Portuguese Macacos me mordam! “to be intrigued or surprised” (monkeys bite me)  Idioms in French Se taper la cloche “to eat very well” (to tap/ ring the bell)  Idioms in German Er hat ins Gras gebissen “he died” (he has bitten into the grass) To beat around the bush = SWEDISH: to walk like a cat around hot porridge (Att gå som en katt kring het gröt) CZECH: walking around mashed potatoes (chodit okolo horké kaše) ITALIAN: lead the dog around in the courtyard (menare il can per l'aia) FRENCH: to turn around the pot (Tourner autour du pot) THANK YOU