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Intro to the Study of Language > Semantics > Flashcards

Semantics Flashcards

1
Q

What is semantics?

A

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

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2
Q

When understanding semantics, what sorts of meanings are sought out for?

A

Widely accepted objective and factual meanings, not subjective and personal

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3
Q

What are the basic components of meaning conveyed by certain words?

A

Referential meaning

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4
Q

How is referential meaning similar to a dictionary?

A

They both describe the basic, essential components of a word

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5
Q

What would be the opposite to referential meaning?

A

Associative or emotive meaning

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6
Q

What sort of sentence would be semantically odd, but syntactically good?

A

A grammatically correct sentence, but the referential meaning of certain components may not make sense

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7
Q

What are semantic features?

A

Basic elements (e.g., noun, verb,) included with a + or - used in analyzing the components of word meaning

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8
Q

What are truth conditions?

A

The ability to deduce whether sentences are true or false

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9
Q

What is the difference between semantics and pragmatics?

A

Semantics: objective meaning of words and phrases
Pragmatics: the study of how context affects meaning

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10
Q

What is the difference between conceptual meaning and associative meaning?

A

Conceptual: dictionary-like descriptions that outline the basic, essential components of a word
Associative: connotations added to a word

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11
Q

What is componential analysis?

A

The categorization of certain components in a group of words that allows analysis to be more specific, often in a table

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12
Q

What is a major drawback of componential analysis?

A

It may not be easy to differentiate different nouns if they are too similar to each other, sees words as “containers” of meaning

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13
Q

What is a semantic role?

A

The part played by a noun phrase in an event illustrated in a sentence

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14
Q

In semantic roles, what is an agent and a theme?

A

Agent: the entity that causes an action, the subject
Theme: the entity affected by an action, the direct object

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15
Q

If an agent uses another entity to perform an action, what is that called?

A

The instrument (indirect object)

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16
Q

What is the term for the noun phrase that has feeling or perception?

A

An experiencer

17
Q

Why are experiencers not considered agents?

A

They do not engage in an action when they feel, know, hear, or enjoy something

18
Q

What are the 2 location roles in semantic roles?

A
  1. Source - where an entity moves from
  2. Goal - where an entity moves to
19
Q

What are lexical relations?

A

The relationships of meaning, the synonymy between words

20
Q

What are two or more words with similar meanings to each other called?

A

Synonyms

21
Q

Why would we never consider similar words to be the same?

A

There are many occasions where one word would work where the other wouldn’t, e.g. cup vs. mug

22
Q

What are two or more words with opposite meanings to each other called?

A

Antonyms

23
Q

What are the 3 different types of antonyms and what do they mean?

A
  1. Gradable: comparative constructions with adjectives (e.g., shorter, happier)
  2. Non-gradable: non-comparative complementary pairs; if one is false the other isn’t necessarily true (e.g. my friend isn’t ugly - he’s just average)
  3. Reversives: one is the reverse action of the other (e.g., subscribe and unsubscribe)
24
Q

When the meaning of one word is included in the meaning of another, what is this called (e.g., utensil/fork)?

A

Hyponymy

25
Q

The word ‘cat’ is a hyponym of the word ‘mammal’. What is the word ‘mammal’ considered in terms of levels?

A

A superordinate

26
Q

Two words that share the same superordinate are considered what?

A

Co-hyponyms

27
Q

What is the most characteristic instance, or the best example of a category called (e.g., ‘shirt’ for ‘clothing’)?

A

A prototype

28
Q

What are two words with the same pronunciation but different meaning called?

A

Homophones (e.g., board and bored)

29
Q

What are two words with the same spelling but different meaning called?

A

Homonyms (e.g., chips as in computer chip vs. chips as in a salty snack)

30
Q

When a word has two or more related meanings, what is this called (e.g., ‘head’)?

A

Polysemy

31
Q

How might we differentiate homonymy and polysemy?

A

Check a dictionary - polysemous words will have a single entry with a numbered list, while homonymous words will have separate entries

32
Q

When a word replaces another in which it is closely connected with in everyday experiences, what is this called (e.g., bottle for liquid in a drink)?

A

Metonymy

Intro to the Study of Language (9 decks)

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