Semantics

Question 1

semantics

Answer 1

the study of the meaning of morphemes, words, phrases and sentences

Question 2

pragmatics

Answer 2

the meaning of language in its context of use

Question 3

metaphor

Answer 3

a figure of speech in which a term is transferred from the object it ordinarily designates to an object it may designate only by implicit comparison or analogy.

Question 4

metonymy

Answer 4

a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something.

Question 5

synecdoche

Answer 5

a figure of speech by which a more inclusive term is used for a less inclusive one, or vice versa.

Question 6

syntagmatic

Answer 6

the way lexemes are related in sentences

Question 7

paradigmatic

Answer 7

the way words can substitute for each other in the same sentence context

Question 8

synonymy

Answer 8

sameness of meaning

Question 9

hyponymy

Answer 9

inclusion of meaning

Question 10

antonymy

Answer 10

oppositeness of meaning

Question 11

incompatibility

Answer 11

mutual exclusiveness within the same superordinate category

Question 12

homonymy

Answer 12

two words are homonyms if they are (accidentally) pronounced the same (e.g. “too” and “two”)

Question 13

polysemy

Answer 13

a single word is polysemous if it has several meanings (e.g. “louse” the bug and “louse” the despicable person)

Question 14

reference

Answer 14

what it corresponds to in the world

Question 15

sense

Answer 15

what we know about its meaning, whether or not we know anything about its extension, and indeed whether or not it has an extension

Question 16

referent

Answer 16

the thing a word refers to.

Question 17

Speaker-reference

Answer 17

what the speaker is referring to by using some linguistic expression.

Question 18

Linguistic-reference

Answer 18

the systematic denotation of some linguistic expression as part of a language.

Question 19

Extension

Answer 19

refers to the set of all potential referents for a referring expression.

Question 20

Prototype

Answer 20

A typical member of the extension of a referring expression is a prototype of that expression.

Question 21

Stereotype

Answer 21

A list of characteristics describing a prototype is said to be a stereotype

Question 22

Coreference

Answer 22

Two linguistic expressions that refer to the same real-world entity are said to be coreferential.

Question 23

Anaphora

Answer 23

A linguistic expression that refers to another linguistic expression is said to be anaphoric or an anaphor.

Question 24

Deixis

Answer 24

deictic expression has one meaning but can refer to different entities depending on the speaker and his or her spatial and temporal orientation.

Question 25

Principle of Compositionality

Answer 25

The semantic meaning of any unit of language is determined by the semantic meanings of its parts along with the way they are put together.

Question 26

Denotative meaning

Answer 26

The logical meaning, which indicates the essential qualities of a concept which distinguish it from other concepts.

Question 27

Connotative meaning

Answer 27

The additional or associated meaning, which is attached to the denotative, conceptual meaning. It consists of associations made with a concept whenever that concept is referred to.

Question 28

Social meaning.

Answer 28

It is the meaning that a word possesses by virtue of its use in particular social situations and circumstances.

Question 29

Thematic meaning

Answer 29

It lies in the manner in which a message is organized for emphasis.

Question 30

The Theory of Naming

Answer 30

This theory, explained in Plato's dialogue Cratylus maintains that language is a communication system which works with two elements; the signifier, and the signified.

Question 31

The Conceptual Theory of Meaning

Answer 31

In the theory of meaning, just explained, words and things are directly related. But in the conceptual theory of meaning words and things are related through the mediation of concepts of the mind.

Question 32

The Behavioristic Theory of Meaning

Answer 32

The term context of situation is used by two scholars, first by an anthropologist called Malinowski, and later by a British linguist called Firth. Both of these scholars stated meaning in terms of the context in which language is used. These two maintained that the description of a language is not complete without some reference to the context of situation in which the language operated.