15 - Semantics 1

Page 1: Semantics Overview

• Title Page

Page 2: What is Semantics?

• Semantics is a branch of linguistics.

• It focuses on understanding meaning in language.

Page 3: Definition of Semantics

• Semantics studies meaning as a central part of linguistic communication.

Page 4: Exploring Meaning

• The concept of "meaning" involves different aspects:

  • Meaning can be linguistic or non-linguistic.

  • Animals and pre-lingual infants have their own concepts, albeit not expressed linguistically.

  • The term "conceptual system" refers to how we understand and categorize meaning.

  • Semantics helps organize information into the structure that language communicates.

Page 5: Elements of Meaning

• Key components of semantics:

  • Concepts: the mental representations linked to meaning.

  • Non-linguistic meaning: meaning derived from contexts beyond language.

  • Semantics discusses how to articulate these meanings in language.

Page 6: Specifying Actions

• Different ways to specify actions:

  • "The vase broke" vs. "The woman broke the vase"

  • Variations in phrasing can alter the specification of an action.

  • Examples of different verbs also convey distinct nuances:

    • Bumped, collided, toppled, smashed.

Page 7: Non-linguistic Meaning

• Concepts can exist without language; animals understand concepts without verbalization.

Page 8: Branches of Semantics

• Two main branches:

  • Lexical Semantics: Focuses on the meanings of words.

  • Compositional Semantics: Examines how words combine to form phrases and sentences.

Page 9: Focus of Semantics

• Semantics is concerned primarily with the ordinary meaning of language.

• Emphasizes the importance of literal meaning, influenced by lexical meaning and syntax.

Page 10: Theory of Semantics

• Aims of semantics theory include:

  • Philosophy: Investigating the nature of meaning.

  • Linguistics: Understanding how people express their perceptions of the world through language (Ray Jackendoff).

Page 11: Lexical Semantics

• Focus on:

  • Sense and reference.

  • Semantic relations among words.

  • Different theories of lexical meaning.

Page 12: Lexicalization

• Refers to how languages express concepts through words.

Page 13: Conceptual Mapping

• Semantics illustrates how meaning is organized for language:

  • Concepts may be universal while semantics is language-specific.

Page 14: Defining Lexicalization

• Lexicalization occurs when a language has a specific word for a concept.

  • Not all languages lexicalize the same concepts or ideas.

Page 15: Example of Lexicalization

• Concept of wearing something for the first time.

  • In Spanish: "estrenando"

  • Example: “Do you like my new shoes? I'm wearing them for the first time.”

  • English lacks a direct equivalent.

Page 16: Example from Spanish to English

• Concept for phloem bundles.

• Distinction in vocabulary between languages.

Page 17: Conceptual Mapping Differences

• Mapping of emotions and perceptions:

  • Variance in expression of similar feelings across languages.

  • Example: Enjoyment

    • Italian: "piace" (like) vs. English "love."

Page 18: Example of Polish Prepositions

• Differences in spatial and locational vocabulary:

  • English: "at"

  • Polish: "w, na, przy, u" showing nuanced functional usage.

Page 19: Semantic Relations Introduction

• Overview of how words relate to each other semantically.

Page 20: Synonyms and Antonyms

• Synonyms: Words with similar meanings (e.g., purchase-buy).

• Antonyms: Words with opposite meanings (e.g., dark-light).

Page 21: Types of Antonyms

• Types include:

  • Complementary: Either/or states (married/single).

  • Gradable: On a continuum (warm/cold).

  • Reverses: One action undoes another (expand/contract).

  • Converses: Each necessitates the other (lend/borrow).

Page 22: Hypernyms and Hyponyms

• Hypernym: A broader category (e.g., furniture.

• Hyponym: A more specific instance (e.g., chair).

Page 23: Meronyms and Holonyms

• Meronym: Part of a whole (e.g., mast of a sailboat).

• Holonym: A whole that contains parts (e.g., sailboat contains mast).

Page 24: Recap of Semantic Relations

-Synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms, hyponyms, meronyms, and holonyms.

Page 25: Words with Multiple Meanings

• Polysemy: A word with multiple related meanings (e.g., "bright").

Page 26: Homophony

• Unrelated meanings for a single word (e.g., "bank").

Page 27: Sense and Reference

• Introduction to thematic roles and primitive conceptual categories.

Page 28: Sense/Reference Explained

• Focus on distinctions between sense and reference in meaning.

Page 29: Reference Explained

• Words reference real-world objects:

  • Reference/denotation: Items a word refers to.

  • Referent: Specific thing indicated by a word.

Page 30: Illustrative Example (MUG)

• Reference example to clarify what is denoted.

Page 31: Common and Proper Nouns

• Common nouns: refer to multiple entities (e.g., cat).

• Proper nouns: refer to singular entities (e.g., Lin-Manuel Miranda).

Page 32: Same Reference, Different Expressions

• Different expressions can refer to the same referent.

  • Example: Lin-Manuel Miranda via various titles.

Page 33: Understanding Sense

• Sense: mental representation linked to words, including definitions and associations.

Page 34: Examples of Sense vs. Reference

• Sense elucidated through various meanings of a word like "book."

Page 35: Relationship Between Sense and Reference

• A sense may exist without a referent.

Page 36: Example of Venus

• Examining different senses: Morning Star, Evening Star.

Page 37: Importance of Reference

• Reference connects language to the world.

Page 38: Contextual Understanding of Statements

• Hypotheticals about expressions and their truth values.

Page 39: Continued Contextual Questions

• Further exploration of referents based on contextual statements.

Page 40: Thematic Roles & Conceptual Categories

• Roles of participants in action as an important part of semantics.

Page 41: Thematic Roles Defined

• Roles detail the participation of entities in actions or relations.

Page 42: Descriptivity of Thematic Roles

• Types of roles include:

  • Agent, Patient, Theme, Source, Goal, Location, Experiencer, Instrument, Cause, and Stimulus.

Page 43: Example - To Like

• A cross-linguistic example of how to express liking.

Page 44: Thematic Roles in Action

• Thematic roles showing similarities in different languages.

Page 45: Behavior of Words

• Understanding semantics through primitive conceptual categories.

Page 46: Talmy's Categories

• Describing physical or abstract actions through manner or path-focused verbs.

Page 47: Typology of Languages

• Language typology regarding the encoding of path or manner.

Page 48: English as a Manner Language

• Characteristics of English language pertaining to motion.

Page 49: French as a Path Language

• Characteristics of French language and its encoding strategies.

Page 50: Summary of Primitive Concepts

• Key roles of path and manner in language studies as outlined by Talmy and Jackendoff.

Page 51: Important Categories to Know

• Manner and Path as key categories, others are supplementary.

Page 52: Analyzing the Verb 'Pass'

• Contextual usage of the verb in various sentences.

Page 53: Clausal Construction of 'Pass'

• Syntax surrounding the usage and different meanings of 'pass.'

Page 54: Comparing 'Pass' and 'Climb'

• Identifying differences in how these verbs convey action.

Page 55: How 'Climb' Works

• Analyzing the action within the context of climbing.

Page 56: Clarification of Differences

• Specific distinctions between climbing and passing.

Page 57: Generalization of Conceptual Primitives

• Application of thematic roles to verbs of transfer like rent, lend, and borrow.

Page 58: Role of Possession Transfer

• Using scenarios to illustrate changes in possession through thematic roles.