Semantics

Question 1

Define lexical semantics

Answer 1

The meanings of words, expressions and their relationship

Question 2

Define compositional semantics

Answer 2

The meanings of phrases and their composition

Question 3

Define what makes up word’s meaning

Answer 3

Sense and Reference

Question 4

Define sense

Answer 4

The mental representation or associations linked to an expression
Example:
The word “cat” has sense such as pointy ears, tail, likes fish, meows, furry, four legs

Question 5

Define reference

Answer 5

A real-world entity of that meaning
Example:
A real life cat being associated with the word “cat”

Question 6

What do we store in our mental representations for
each expression?

Answer 6

a) dictionary definitions (using words to describe words)
b) mental image definitions (what you picture)
c) usage-based definitions (the conditions under which it is appropriate to use the word)

Question 7

Define dictionary definitions

Answer 7

Using words to describe other words

Question 8

Define mental-image definitions

Answer 8

What you picture when thinking of the word

Question 9

Define usage-based definitions

Answer 9

The conditions under which it is appropriate to use a certain word

Question 10

Define hyponymy

Answer 10

a “type-of” semantic relationship between a hyponym (member of a subset) and a hypernym (the supertype). The hyponym set is included within the broader hypernym set
Example:
Mammals include cows, sheep, dogs (there are subsets inside of dogs like lab, poodle, etc) and then those animal subsets niche into specific animals

Question 11

Define synonymy

Answer 11

Two or more expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses, and where possible, have the same referent
Example:
happy/joyful
couch/sofa/chesterfield

Question 12

Define antonymy

Answer 12

The semantic qualities or sense relations that exist between words with opposite meanings

Question 13

Define the subcategories of antonymy

Answer 13

a) complementary antonyms
b) gradable antonyms
c) reverse antonyms
d) converse antonyms

Question 14

Define complementary antonyms

Answer 14

Directly contrastive words (words that cannot both be true at the same time)
Example:
a) married/unmarried
b) existent/nonexistent
c) alive/dead
d) win/lose

Question 15

Define gradable antonyms

Answer 15

Antonyms found on a continuum (words that also cannot both be true at the same time based on time elapsing)
Example:
a) wet/dry
b) easy/hard
c) old/young
d) love/hate

Question 16

Define reverse antonyms

Answer 16

Involve an “undoing” movement (a movement that would cancel the other out)
Example:
a) put together/take apart
b) expand/contract
c) ascent/descent

Question 17

Define converse antonyms

Answer 17

Involve two sides or a change in perspective (both actions can be done simultaneously but not by the same individual)
Example:
a) lend/borrow
b) send/recieve
c) employer/employee
d) over/under

Question 18

Define proposition

Answer 18

A specific claim or assertion regarding the entities found in a sentence

Question 19

Define truth value

Answer 19

The listener interpreting a proposition to be true or not

Question 20

Explain the relationship between proposition and truth value

Answer 20

Propositions are claims which the listener must then assess and decide whether the claim is true or not
Example:
P: China is the most populous country in the world
TV: This makes sense based on what I know–True

P: Switzerland is the most populous country in the world
TV: This does not make sense based on what I know–False

Question 21

Define truth conditions

Answer 21

The truth value depends on the conditions
The truth value does not need to be inherently known

Question 22

Explain entailment

Answer 22

Entailment is when the truth of one sentence guarentees the truth of the following sentence
Example:
a) All dogs bark
b) Sally’s dog barks
Since a) is true b) must also be true

Question 23

Define mutual entailment

Answer 23

Mutual entailment is when two propositions entail or make each other true (think of it like synonmous sentences)
Example:
a) Ian has a female sibling
b) Ian has a sister

Question 24

Define incompatible propositions

Answer 24

Incompatible propositions means that it would be impossible for both propositions to be true based on incompatible truth conditions
Examples:
a) George Washington is dead
b) George Washington is alive
Both a) and b) cannot simultaneously be true