Ch 5 & 6 - Syntax & Semantics Flashcards
syntax
the system of rules and categories that underlies sentence formation in human language
grammatical
the status of a sentence that speakers judge to be a possible sentence of their language
meaning
the msg or content that a sign conveys
semantics
the study of meaning in human language
polysemy
the situation in which a word has two or more related meanings (eg bright ‘intelligent’, bright ‘shining’)
homophony
the situation in which a single form has two or more entirely distinct meanings (eg club ‘a social organization’, club ‘a blunt weapon’
lexical ambiguity
the result of homophony or polysemy in that a single form has two or more meanings, either related or not
connotation
the set of associations that a word’s use can evoke (eg in Canada winter evokes ice, snow, bare trees, etc)
denotation
the set of entities to which a word or expression refers
