Seminar on ELT_Meeting 7 Content and Lay Out Chapter III

An Introduction to LinguisticsSession 12: SemanticsEdi Bratahttp://e-learning.edibrata.comMathlaul Anwar University

Semantics?Semantics comes from the ancient Greek word semantikos, an adjective meaning relating to signs.The study of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences The systematic study of meaning in language

The Systematic Study of MeaningPsychologist: how the human seeks meaning and works with them.Philosophers: how any particular fact that we know as true is related to other possible facts.Linguists: how language works.

UTTERANCE, SENTENCE AND PROPOSITION

5

UTTERANCE

An utterance is any stretch of talk, by one person, before and after which there is silence on the part of that person.It is used by a particular speaker, on a particular occasion, of a piece of language.

SENTENCE

A sentence is a grammatically complete string of words expressing a (partial) complete thought.

A sentence can include words grouped meaningfully to express a statement, question, exclamation, request or command.

Example : After cooking, mother speaks to father softly: I am tired

SENTENCE

Study these sentences:We walk in the park. (Complete sentence)Our walk in the park.For us walk in the park. The difference is grammatical. The first expression asserts something, makes a statement.

PROPOSITION

Proposition is the semantic content shared by the three expressions.

We walk in the park. (single proposition) We dont walk in the park. (negation proposition) Do we walk in the park? (question)

PROPOSITION

Proposition Position:

Helen put on a sweater.Helen put a sweater on.

These are different English sentences, but they convey the same message, they express the same proposition.

Richard wrote the report.Richard is the one who wrote the report.The report was written by Richard.The report is what Richard wrote.

The Dimension of Meaning

Reference: the relation between a language expression and whatever the expression pertains to in a particular situation of language use.Denotation: the potential of a word to enter into such language expressions.Connotation: the affective or emotional associations.Sense relations: the meaning of any expression varies with context.Lexical meaning: with associations outside language.Grammatical meaning: refers to grammatical system.Lexical ambiguity: many meanings.

11

SEMANTIC ROLES

12

Definitions of Semantic Role

Actor is the role of an argument that performs some action without affecting any other entity.e.g. Sylvia left.

Affected is the role of an argument that undergoes a change due to some event or is affected by some other entity. e.g. Music delighted Betty. A window broke.

13

Definitions of Semantic Role

Affecting is the role of an argument that, without any action affects another entity.e.g. Betty likes opera. Opera delights Betty.

Agentis the role of an argument that, by its action, affects some other entity.e.g. Tom broke the window.

14

Definitions of Semantic Role

Associate is the role of an argument that tells the status or identity of another argument. e.g. Roger is a student.

Effect is the role of an argument that comes into existence through the action of the predicate. e.g.Tillie baked a pie.

15

Definitions of Semantic Role

Place is the role of an argument that names the location in which the action of the predicate occurs. e.g. The fireman climbed a ladder.

Theme is the role of an argument that is the topic of a predicate that does not express action a stative predicate. e.g. Audrey is a computer expert.

16

Kinds of Semantic Roles:

Valency ZeroValency OneValency Two

Valency

Valency refers to the capacity of a verb to take a specific number and type of arguments (noun phrase positions).

Valency Zero

It is snowing.It was rainy.It has been thundering.

The subject (it) doesnt name anything. The sentence has a subject because English requires a subject, but this subject doesnt correspond to anything in the underlying proposition.

19

Valency One

My brother snores.

The sentence has a subject my brother, verb snore but no object. This sentence uses intransitive verb or one-argument predicate.

20

VALENCY TWO

21

The cat killed a rat.

22

Syntactic Role

The cat killed a rat.

subjectpredicateobject

23

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

The cat killed a rat.

argument1predicateargument2agentactionaffected

24

Some action by one entity which affects another entity.Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2agentactionaffectedcatkillratIbreakwindowAdehitSudirman

25

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

Gian dug a hole.

argument1predicateargument2agentactioneffect

26

The argument2 is the result or effect of the action.Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2agentactioneffectGiandigholeYektimakeomeletWidodocreatemasterpiece

27

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

Yudhie crossed the street.

argument1predicateargument2actoractionplace

28

The action involves movement to with respect to a place.Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2actoractionplaceYudhiecrossstreetIndraenterroomGunawanclimbtree

29

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

The decision surprised us all.

argument1predicateargument2affectingaffectaffectedThe sentence does not express any action.It tells how one entity affects another entity.

30

The predicates expresses an affect, the argument1 names entity that affects that has affecting role and argument2 names the entity that is affected. Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2affectingaffectaffecteddecisionsurpriseusyou disturbeverybodycomedianimpressaudience

31

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

Oliver was envious of his brother.

argument1predicateargument2affectedaffectaffectingThe sentence does not express any action.It tells how one entity affects another entity.

32

If the Oliver envies, or loves, or hates, it is Oliver who is affected by these emotions.Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2affectedaffectaffectingOliverenvybrother

33

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

Sheila is like her mother.

argument1predicateargument2themelinkassociateThe sentence are about neither action nor affecting.

34

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2themelinkassociateSheilalikemotherTomwithAnnbookaboutsemantics

35

Semantic Role(Valency Two)

argument1predicateargument2themelinkassociateSheilalikemotherisherBantenwest ofJava islandisThe booksonthe tableareThe banknearour campusisThe next gameatthree oclock will be

36

SOME CHANGES IN VALENCY

37

Agnes wrote her mother a letter. (full sentence)Agnes wrote a letter.Agnes wrote her mother.Agnes wrote.

The sentence is less more informative when it has fewer arguments, but its still a legitimate sentence and the meaning of write does not change.

Some Changes in Valency

The car needs a new battery.

We ate lunch (in the kitchen).We ate (in the kitchen).

Sisca bathed the baby (in the tub).Sisca bathed (in the tub).

I rolled the ball (down the street).The ball rolled (down the street).

Four Different Groups of Two-Argument Verbs

The car needs a new battery.Predicates like need always have two arguments. (need, use, want, etc)

We ate lunch ( in the kitchen)We ate (in the kitchen)

b) contains more specific information than c), but the meaning of eat is the same.the predicate eat inherently two arguments.Explanation

Sisca bathed the baby (in the tub)Sisca bathed (in the tub)

e) does not simply have less information than d), it conveys the information that Sisca bathed herself. Certain predicates, like bathe are reflexive, self directed, if they occur without an object.d) has two obvious arguments: Sisca, the actor, and the baby, the affected.e), the argument Sisca could be said to have two roles, actor and affected. Since, it is sisca who bathes and Sisca who gets bathed. Explanation

I rolled the ball (down the street)The ball rolled (down the street)The predicate roll has two different, thought related, meanings in the two sentences:G: Agent-Action-Affected;H: Affected-ActionExplanation

LEXICAL RELATIONS

43

Lexical Relations

Synonym: two or more words with very closely related meanings big/large, buy/purchase, car/automobile.Antonym: two forms with opposite meanings alive/dead, big/small, fast/slow, happy/sad.Hyponym: the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another animal/dog, dog/poodle, vegetable/carrot, ower/rose, tree/banyan.Prototypes: the idea of the characteristic instance of a category canary, cormorant, dove, duck, amingo, parrot, pelican and robin are all equally co-hyponyms of the superordinate bird.

44

Lexical Relations

Homophones: two or more different (written) forms have the same pronunciation bare/bear, meat/meet, our/ower, pail/pale, right/write, sew/so and to/too/two.Homonym: one form (written or spoken) has two or more unrelated meanings pupil (at school)/pupil (in the eye).Polysemy: two or more words with the same form and related meanings foot (of person, of bed, of mountain) or run (person does, water does, colors do).

45

Lexical Relations

Metonymy: using one word to refer to the other He drank the whole bottle, although it sounds absurd literally (i.e. he drank the liquid, not the glass object).

Collocation: frequently occurring together If you say table, theyll mostly say chair, and butter elicits bread, needle elicits thread and salt elicits pepper.

46

Hurford, James R, et. al. 2007. Semantics: A Course Book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Kreidler. 1998. Introducing English Semantics. New York: Routledge.O Grady et al. 2005. Contemporary Linguistics Fifth Edition. New York: Bedford St. Martins.Riemer, Nick. 2010. Introducing Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Todd, Loreto. 1987. An Introduction to Linguistics. Singapore. Longman: York Press.Yule, George. 2006. The Study of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.References

Thank You!

48