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Semantics

Semantics is the study of meaning in language. It includes lexical semantics which examines the meaning of words, phrasal semantics which looks at the meaning of phrases, and semantic features which are the components of meaning. There are different types of meanings including referential meaning which is the dictionary definition and associative meaning which includes emotional associations. Semantic roles describe the relationship between verbs and nouns, such as agent, theme, and location. Lexical relations explain how words are related through synonyms which share meaning, antonyms which are opposites, and hyponyms which show specific-to-general relationships.

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22 views3 pages

Semantics

Semantics is the study of meaning in language. It includes lexical semantics which examines the meaning of words, phrasal semantics which looks at the meaning of phrases, and semantic features which are the components of meaning. There are different types of meanings including referential meaning which is the dictionary definition and associative meaning which includes emotional associations. Semantic roles describe the relationship between verbs and nouns, such as agent, theme, and location. Lexical relations explain how words are related through synonyms which share meaning, antonyms which are opposites, and hyponyms which show specific-to-general relationships.

Uploaded by

Denilson Aldair Gomez Saravia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Semantics

It is a branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of morphemes, words, phrases,


and sentences.

Lexical semantics: Study the meaning of words and the relationships among words.

Phrasal semantics: The meaning of syntactic units larger than one word.

Referential meaning: It is the specific objective meaning of a word that points to a


particular concept, object, or idea; meaning is the straightforward, dictionary-like
definition of a word.

Associative meaning: On the other hand, refers to the additional emotions, or


subjective associations that a word carries beyond its literal or referential meaning,
while associative meaning encompasses the extra layers of subjective, emotional, or
cultural associations that a word can carry.

● Referential Meaning: In the sentence "She bought a new car," "car" has a
referential meaning referring to a mode of transportation.
● Associative Meaning: The word "car" might have associative meanings
related to status, independence, or environmental impact, depending on the
context or individual associations.

Semantic features: refer to the distinctive characteristics or components that make


up the meaning of words or concepts. These features are used to analyze and
describe the semantic content of words and how they relate to one another within a
language.

Componential analysis: Describe the meaning of words and concepts by breaking


them down into their fundamental components or features.

Semantic roles: Express the relation between the arguments of the verb and the
situation the verb describes. Are the underlying roles or functions that nouns and
noun phrases (NPs) play within a sentence or clause. These roles help to indicate
the relationship between the verb and the nouns or noun phrases in a sentence.

Agent: the ‘doer’ of the action; The agent is the entity that performs or initiates an
action. It is typically the "doer" of the action. For example, in the sentence "The cat
chased the mouse," "the cat" is the agent because it is performing the action of
chasing.

Theme: the ‘undergoer’ of the action; the theme is similar to the patient and
represents an entity that is affected by the action but does not necessarily undergo a
change in state. For example, in the sentence "She read the book," "the book" is the
theme because it is affected by the action of reading but doesn't change.

Instrument: the means used to accomplish an action; the instrument is the means or
tool used to carry out an action. In the sentence "She cut the cake with a knife," "a
knife" is the instrument because it is used to perform the action of cutting.

Experiencer: one receiving sensory input; The experiencer is the entity that
perceives or experiences an event or state. For instance, in the sentence "He loves
ice cream," "he" is the experiencer because he is the one who experiences the
feeling of love.

Location: The location indicates where an action takes place or where an entity is
located. In the sentence "The party is at her house," "her house" serves as the
location.

Source: Where the action originates;

Goal: The goal represents the endpoint or target of an action. For example, in the
sentence "She sent the letter to her friend," "her friend" is the goal because it is the
target of the action of sending.

Lexical relations: "lexical relations" refer to the various ways in which words or
lexemes (units of vocabulary) are related to each other within a language's lexicon or
vocabulary. These relations help linguists understand how words are connected, how
they function in relation to one another, and how meaning is organized in a
language.

Synonymy: words or expressions that have the same meaning in some or all
contexts; where two or more words have similar or nearly identical meanings.
Synonyms are different words or expressions that can be used interchangeably in
certain contexts. For example, "big" and "large" are synonyms because they both
convey the idea of size.

Antonymy: are words that are opposite in meaning; Antonymy involves words that
have opposite meanings. Antonyms are pairs of words that represent contrasting
concepts. For example, "hot" and "cold" are antonyms because they represent
opposing temperature states.

Gradable antonymy: Gradable antonyms are pairs of words that represent opposite
ends of a scale or spectrum and allow for degrees of comparison between them.
Examples of gradable antonyms include "hot" and "cold," "big" and "small," "happy"
and "sad," and "fast" and "slow."
Non-gradable antonyms: are pairs of words that represent absolute opposites
without any intermediate degrees between them. Examples of non-gradable
antonyms include "alive" and "dead," "true" and "false," "married" and "single," and
"unique" and "ordinary’’ awake/asleep.

Hyponyms involve the relationship between a general term and specific instances of
that term; hyponymy is a lexical relation that describes a hierarchical or inclusion
relationship between two or more words or concepts.

● Hypernym: The hypernym is a term that represents a more general or


overarching concept or category. It encompasses a broader set of entities or
ideas. For example, "animal" is a hypernym because it includes various
specific types of animals.
● Hypernym: Animal
Hyponyms: Cat, dog, horse, bird, fish, etc.
● Hypernym: Fruit
Hyponyms: Apple, banana, orange, grape, etc.
● Hypernym: Color
Hyponyms: Red, blue, green, yellow, etc.

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