Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
Department of Languages
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
Online Lectures
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Year and Semester
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Year-2 Semester-1
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Subject
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Syntax and Semantics
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Subject Code
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ENGL 2112
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Course Unit
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Introduction to
Semantics
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Date
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22.05.2020
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Time
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Theory (9.00 am-11.00
am) Practical (12.30 pm-2.30 pm)
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Lecturer
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D.N. Aloysius
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Theory Hours
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02
Total No of Hours: 02
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Practical Hours
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02
Total No of Hours: 02
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Introduction to
Semantics
Semantics
comes from the Greek word, semantikos. Semantics
is the study of meaning. An understanding of semantics is essential to the
study of language acquisition (how language users acquire a sense of meaning,
as speakers and writers, listeners and readers) and of language change (how
meanings alter over time). It is important for understanding language in social
contexts, as these are likely to affect meaning, and for understanding
varieties of English and effects of style. It is thus one of the most
fundamental concepts in linguistics. The study of semantics includes the study
of how meaning is constructed, interpreted, clarified, obscured, illustrated,
simplified negotiated, contradicted and paraphrased. In general, however,
semantics refers to how meaning is conveyed through the symbols of a written
language.
Conceptual
Meaning and Associative meaning
Additionally, it is concerned with
the conceptual meaning and not the associative meaning. The conceptual meaning
is what a word in fact denotes, as for example Friday the 13th is a
day between Thursday the 12th and Saturday the 14th, and
that is the conceptual meaning of the phrase Friday the 13th. Yet, for many people the idea of that day
brings to mind thoughts of bad luck and misfortune, which is the associative
meaning. Semantics is the study of meaning.
There are two types of meaning: conceptual meaning and associative meaning. The
conceptual meaning of the word sea is something that is large,
filled with saltwater, and so on. This meaning is true for everyone. The
associative meaning might be pirates, shipwreck, storms, battle and so on.
These associations vary from person to person. The conceptual meaning of concise is expressed
in few words, but concise being a good thing
is part of the associative meaning.
When one first reads the word crash, for example, a car
accident may leap to mind. However, the term can also be used to discuss the
sound that is created when a pair of large symbols is brought together in a
piece of music, or how waves break against a rocky coast. The meaning of words
is analyzed in several different ways in order to account for as many aspects
of meaning as possible. First of all, words are analyzed in terms of their
semantic features that are basic elements which enable the differentiation of
meaning of words.
There
are many different aspects of semantics, which are all very interesting. There are many ways that words, phrases and
sentences acquire the meaning. Some words have actual entities to which they
refer, such as chair. This word refers to a collective idea of all the chairs
in existence. Other words have less exact meaning and may vary within the minds
of speakers, such as love. This word can mean many. I love my mom. I love
chocolate cake. I love my husband. I love Paris. Each of these examples shows a
different contextual meaning of the word love. Semantics in language determines
the relationship between signifiers and what they signify. Although images and
body language can be included as signifiers in a wider study of semantics,
linguistic semantics deals strictly with words and their meanings. Semantics is
a subfield of linguistics specializing in the study of meaning. Signifiers have
multiple levels of meaning: The simplest level, also known as the first order
of signification, is the denotation of a word. Denotation refers to a strictly
literal understanding. For example, the noun phrase brown bear signifies a
large omnivorous mammal. Various cultural or emotional meanings attached to a
word provide one or more deeper levels of meaning. These subjective meanings
are known as connotations. For example, a camper might hear brown bear with a
connotation of fear and panic. On the other hand, brown bear might mean
friendship, comfort, and security for a child who plays and sleeps with a
stuffed animal.
Semantics
is the branch of semiotics, the philosophy or study of signs, that
deals with meaning. The other two branches of semiotics are syntactics (the
arrangement of signs) and pragmatics (the relationship between the speaker and
the signs). In discussing natural and computer languages, the distinction is
sometimes made between syntax (for example, the word order
in a sentence or the exact computer command notation) and semantics (what the
words really say or what functions are requested in the command). The field of linguistics is concerned with the study of meaning in language. Linguistic semantics has been defined as the study of how
languages organize and express meanings. The term semantics (from the Greek
word for sign) was coined by French linguist Michel Bréal (1832-1915), who is
commonly regarded as a founder of modern semantics.
In Linguistics, semantics is the subfield that is
devoted to the study of meaning, as inherent at the levels of words, phrases,
sentences, and larger units of discourse. The study of semantics is also closely linked
to the subjects of representation, reference and denotation. Semantics is the
linguistic and philosophical study of meaning in language, programming
languages, formal logic, and semiotics. It is concerned with the relationship
between signifiers—like words, phrases, signs, and symbols—and what they stand
for in reality, their denotation.
Practical:
1.
Explain the term, Semantics.
2.
Write short notes on the following.
a. Semiotics
b. Conceptual
meaning
c. Associative
meaning
d. Denotation
e. Connotation
References:
1.
The
Study of Language by George Yule
2.
Introducing Semantics by Nick Riemer
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