Semantics Flashcards
semantics
study of conventional meaning conveyed by words, phrases, sentences - focuses on literal meaning of the words rather than speaker intended meaning.
conceptual meaning
basic, essential components of the meaning conveyed by literal use of the a word, ex.: needle - thin, sharp, metal instrument, etc.
associative meaning
associations and connotation of individual speakers connected with the word, ex.: needle - pain, illness, drugs, etc.
semantic features
containers of meaning, basic elements involved in differentiating the meaning of words in particular language, ex.: boy: +male, -adult, +human etc. [syntactically correctness vs. semantic oddity]
semantic roles
roles fulfilled within the situation described by the sentence: agent, theme, instrument, experience, location, source, goal.
lexical relations
relationship between words; describing words in terms of their relationship to other words: synonyms, antonyms, homophones etc.
agent (semantic role)
entity performing action, usually human but not only, ex: wind, smoke, car, dog etc.
theme (semantic role)
entity involved in or affected by the action, also entity being described
semantic features
containers of meaning, basic elements involved in differentiating the meaning of words in particular language, ex.: boy: +male, -adult, +human etc. [syntactically correctness vs. semantic oddity].
theme (semantic role)
entity involved in or affected by the action, also entity being described. Usually non human but not always, ex: the dog chased the boy. Same entity can be agent & theme, ex.: the boy cut himself.
theme (semantic role)
entity involved in or affected by the action, also entity being described. Usually non human but not always, ex: the dog chased the boy. Same entity can be agent & theme, ex.: the boy cut himself.
instrument (semantic role)
entity used, involved in performing action.
experiencer (semantic role)
entity which has a feeling, perception or state - not performing action, ex: the boy smelled the smoke.
location / source / goal
designate where the entity is in the description of the event: location - where, source - from where it moves, goal to where it moves.
synonyms
words with same or closely related meaning, ex: answer-reply, fat-obese, big-large, buy-purchase. In some cases context determines the use of a word: Sandy had one correct answer/reply on her test.
