Linguistic & Non-Linguistic Semantics Practice Flashcards

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering core concepts in semantics, semiotics, Saussure's and Peirce's models, language vs. speech vs. utterance, and semantic metalanguage.

Linguistic semantics is the study of how meaning is encoded and decoded through language and the relationship between linguistic expressions and the __________ they represent.

concepts

__________ semantics is the study of how meaning is conveyed and understood without conventional spoken or written language.

Non-Linguistic

Meaning communicated through linguistic forms, such as morphemes, words, phrases, and sentences, is known as __________ meaning.

Linguistic

The knowledge that people must have in order to speak and understand a language is referred to as linguistic __________.

Competence

Understanding meaning conveyed through sounds, music, and tone of voice is called __________ semantics.

Auditory

Visual semantics involves interpreting meaning from images, symbols, and __________.

colours

Meaning derived from physical touch and texture is known as __________ semantics.

Tactile

Mental frameworks that we use to organise and understand information are called conceptual __________.

Structures

The idea that our understanding of concepts is deeply rooted in our bodily experiences and interactions with the world is called __________ cognition.

Embodied

The general study of sign systems and how signs are used to communicate meaning is called __________.

Semiotics

In semiotics, a __________ is defined as something that represents or communicates something else.

Sign

In Saussure's dyadic model, the physical form of a sign is called the __________.

Signifier

In Saussure's dyadic model, the concept to which the signifier refers is called the __________.

Signified

The relationship between the signifier and signified is called __________.

Signification

The principle stating that there is no natural connection between a linguistic form and its meaning is called __________.

Arbitrariness

The establishment of the relationship between a sign and its meaning through social agreement is known as __________.

Conventionality

In Peirce's triadic model, the form that the sign takes is called the __________.

Representamen

In Peirce's triadic model, the thing to which the sign refers is called the __________.

Object

In Peirce's triadic model, the idea or interpretation formed in the mind is called the __________.

Interpretant

A sign that signifies through resemblance to what it represents is called an __________.

Icon

A sign that signifies through a causal or evidential connection is called an __________.

Index

A sign whose meaning is established through convention and must be culturally learned is called a __________.

Symbol

The idea that linguistic signs are made up of distinct, separate units rather than continuous forms is known as __________.

Discreteness

The organisation of language into different levels of units, allowing a limited set of forms to produce many meaningful expressions, is called double __________.

Articulation

An abstract system of rules and shared knowledge that allows people to construct and interpret meaning is called __________.

Language

The ability to create and understand an infinite number of new sentences from a finite set of words and rules is called generative __________.

Capacity

The rules and patterns that govern how words combine and how sentences convey meaning are called systematic __________.

Rules

The physical realisation of language and audible output produced by the vocal apparatus is called __________.

Speech

A specific instance of language being used in a particular context, bounded by silence or a change of speaker, is an __________.

Utterance

A string of words put together according to grammatical rules that expresses a complete thought is a __________.

Sentence

The part of the meaning of a declarative sentence that describes a state of affairs and can be evaluated in terms of truth is a __________.

Proposition

The additional meaning that a speaker incorporates into sentence meaning in a particular situation is called __________ meaning.

Speaker

The meaning that words and sentences have independently of a particular use or situation is called __________ meaning.

Sentence

Facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language are examples of non-verbal __________.

Cues

An approach influenced by Saussure that views language elements in terms of their relationships within a larger system or structure is __________.

Structuralism

In Saussurean linguistics, the abstract, systematic, and collective aspect of language is called __________.

Langue

In Saussurean linguistics, the individual, concrete act of speaking or writing is called __________.

Parole

The branch of linguistics concerned with the literal meaning of words, phrases, and sentences independent of context is called __________.

Semantics

The study of the meaning of individual words is called __________ semantics.

Lexical

The study of how the meanings of words combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences is called __________ semantics.

Sentential

The study of contextual meaning and speaker intentions in specific communicative situations is called __________.

Pragmatics

What is suggested or implied by an utterance rather than explicitly stated is known as an __________.

Implicature

A background assumption or belief that is taken for granted in an utterance is a __________.

Presupposition

Words or phrases whose meaning comes from the context of the utterance, such as "here", "now", or "I", are known as __________.

Deixis

A language used to describe another language is called a __________.

Metalanguage

In semantic metalanguage, the internal meaning of a word or phrase is referred to as its __________.

Sense

In semantic metalanguage, what a word or phrase points to in the real or imagined world is its __________.

Reference

When the truth of one sentence guarantees the truth of another, this relationship is called __________.

Entailment

The use of logical systems to represent and analyse meaning with precision is known as __________ semantics.

Formal

When one word has multiple related meanings, this phenomenon is called __________.

Polysemy

Different words that sound or are spelled the same but have unrelated meanings display __________.

Homonymy

Words with similar meanings exhibit __________.

Synonymy

Words with opposite meanings exhibit __________.

Antonymy

A "type-of" relationship between words is known as __________.

Hyponymy

The difficulty of defining abstract semantic concepts without using circular definitions is called __________.

Circularity

The problem where focusing excessively on logical and formal analysis obscures psychological and social dimensions of meaning is called __________.

Over-formalisation