Semantics

Semantics

The study of meaning 

Lexical semantics

The meanings of lexical expressions and the meaning of relationships between them

Compositional semantics

Phrasal and sentential meaning and how it is put together

What are the two aspects of meaning 

Sense and reference 

Sense

The mental representation of a word's meaning

Reference

The particular entity or entities a word refers to the real world

Proper name

Refer to the thing they name

Common noun

Cat may not refer to a specific cat but rather to a set of entities in the world

Intransitive Verbs

Refers to sets of entities (namely sets of individuals who have a certain property)

Dictionary Entry Theory 

The meaning of a word would be its definition (Self-referential)

Mental Image Theory

The meaning of a word are mental images (Can be different from person to person)

Usage Theory

Builds the meaning of the word (Experience of using a word)

Semantic Features

An attempt to account for the meanings of words by uncovering the feature primitives (A golden is more of a dog than a pug)

Prototype

An item that is the best example of a category

Graded Membership

some items in a category are perceived as more “correct” than others

What are the thematic roles

Agent

Theme

Source

Goal

Location

Agent 

Entity performing action

Theme

Entity undergoing an action or a movement

Source

The starting point for a movement

Goal

The endpoint for a movement

Location

The place where an action occurs

Adjectives

The set of all things that have a property