Linguistics test 4 pragmatics and semantics

Semantics

subfield of linguistics that studies the meaning in language usually separated from pragmatics

Reference

anything in the referential realm denoted by a word or expression.

sense

aspect of a word's meaning that is independent of what it may refer to in the real world (such as relation with other words).

referential realm

is anything, real or imagined, that a person may talk about.

Referent

a particular entity (idea, object) to which a word or linguistic expression relates

Zuni

single term encompassing yellow and orange

-inconsistent

Q'ueqchi

single term for blue-green spectrum

-formed groupings based on criteria apart from lexicon

Berlin ad Kay

-for each basic color word, circle all those chips that could be called by that word

-for each basic color word, select the best, most typical example of that color

Linguistic Meaning

meaning the utterance has simply within the language it belongs

ex: dog, tree

social meaning

meaning the utterance has based on social context

--Could you hand me that?

*meaning changes based on environment

--Bad

That was a bad thing to do.

That was so bad, man.

affective meaning

evaluation — goodness versus badness

potency — powerfulness versus powerlessness

activity — liveliness versus torpidity

hyponymy

Property of two words such that the set of things denoted by one word is a subset of the set of things denoted by the other word

Hypernym

word of more general meaning than others defined in relation to it

Hyponym

word semantically subordinate to a hypernym and semantically parallel to other words subordinate to the same term

Meronymy

property of a word that have a whole/part relationship

-dog = tail paws ears whiskers snout

-often used metaphorically

Synonymy

property of words that have the same denotation

denotation

the literal meaning of a word

connotation

the suggestive meaning and rules of use

antonymy

property of words that have some sense of opposite denotations

gradable antonyms

gradient between extremes

-hot/cold

-good/bad

-cannot be both

Complementary antonyms

not x = y

cannot be both

-single/married

male/female

Converse antonyms

opposing points of view

both must exist to understand each

-parent/child

-wife/husband

Reverses

one undoes the other

involve movement

-right/left

-inside/outside

-expand/contract

Homonyms

words that have different meaning and origin but share a word form; spelling, pronunciation or both

Homophones

morphemes that have the same pronunciation but different meanings

Homographs

words that have the same spelling but different meanings and usually pronunciation

-bow (bend) bow (archery)

Polysemes

word that has numerous meanings and uses

-crane

-fork

principle of compositionality

the meaning of a sentence is determined by the meaning of its conjunction with the way they are put together syntactically

-old man visited his young daughter

- old daughter visited her young man

idiomatic/idioms

fixed meaning not composed of construction

-hell break loose

-nose to grindstone

Agent

thematic role:

must have capacity for volitional or deliberate action

does the action

Patient

receives the action initiated by and agent

Experiencer

must be capable of perceiving or feeling something

Percept

something that can be experienced or perceived

Instrument

something with which the action is performed

truth conditions

the way the world must be for the statement to be true

truth value

whether the utterance is true or false

Pure Intersection

- relationship between the denotations of the adjective and the denotations of the noun where both are separate sets and the section they cross.

- green sweater

Relative Intersections

set denoted by the adjective are determined relative

-big mice/ little whales

Non intersection

picks out a set of the denoted nouns but in and of itself does not create a set

-alleged thief/possible scenario

Anti intersection

set of items not denoted by the noun

-fake picasso

Pragmatics

the study of how context affects language use: both whether or not a particular utterance is appropriate in a given context and how the context affects that utterance's meaning or interpretation

locutionary act

the production of sounds and words that make up an utterance and its referential meaning

illocutionary act

the performance of an act in saying something/ speakers intent

perlocutionary act

produces an effect intended or not, achieved in an addressee by a speakers utterance

Assertives

declares a state of affairs

Directives

designed to get the addressee to do something - beg order command

Commissives

designed to get the speaker to do something

-promise, threaten, intend

Expressives

express the mental state of the speaker

-congratulate, thank, condole

Declarations

bring about the state of affairs to which they refer

Grice's Cooperative Principle

underlying a conversation is the understanding that what one says is intended to a contribute to the purposes of the conversation

Maxims of Quality

-do not say what you believe to be false

-do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence

maxim of relevance

be relevant

maxims of quantity

-Make your contribution as informative as required

-Do not make your contribution more informative than is required

Maxim of Manner

avoid obscurity of expression, avoid ambiguity, be brief, be orderly

Implicature

anything that is inferred from an utterance but that is not a condition for the truth of the utterance

Inference

concusion that a person is reasonable entited to draw based on a set of circumstances

Politeness Principle

ways in which speakers adapt (or do not adapt) to the needs and wants of the other participants of the conversation

Politeness

is defined as regressive action taken to counter-balance the disruptive effect of face threatening acts

Negative Face

or the rights to territories, freedom of action and freedom from imposition - wanting your actions not to be constrained or inhibited by others

Positive face

the positive consistent self-image that people have and their desire to be appreciated and approved of by at least some other people

Face Threatening Acts

Acts that infringe on the hearers need to maintain his/her self esteem. Can be used as a way to dominate and show power.

bald on-record

does nothing to minimize threats to the hearer's "face"

positive politeness

shows you recognize that your hearer has a desire to be respected. It also confirms that the relationship is friendly and expresses group reciprocity

Negative Politeness

strategy also recognizes the hearer's face. But it also recognizes that you are in some way imposing on them

off record indirect

strategies take some of the pressure off of you

Entailment

something involved as a necessary part or consequence of something