Semantics Flashcards
Semantics
the study of the meaning of morphemes, words, phrases and sentences
pragmatics
the meaning of language in its context of use
metaphor
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
Metonymy
a figure of speech in which an attribute or commonly associated feature is used to name or designate something
Synecdoche
a figure of speech by which a more inclusive term is used for a less inclusive one, or vice versa
connotation
an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning
denotation
the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests
syntagmatic
of or denoting the relationship between two or more linguistic units used sequentially to make well-formed structures
paradigmatic
of or denoting the relationship between a set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles
synonymy
“sameness of meaning” (pavement is a synonym of sidewalk)
hyponymy
“inclusion of meaning” (cat is a hyponym of animal)
antonymy
“oppositeness of meaning” (big is an antonym of small)
incompatibility
“mutual exclusiveness within the same superordinate category” (e.g. red and green)
lexical semantics
looks at the classification and decomposition of lexical items, the differences and similarities in lexical semantic structure cross-linguistically, and the relationship of lexical meaning to sentence meaning and syntax
compositional semantics
deals with how lexical meanings combine to form more complex phrasal meanings
reference
what a concept corresponds to in the world
sense
what we know about a concepts meaning
possible worlds semantics
a complete and consistent way the world is or could have been in order to provide a semantics for intentional and modal logic
trivial
denoting a subgroup that either contains only the identity element or is identical with the given group
trivium
a group of studies consisting of grammar, rhetoric, and logic and forming the lower division of the seven liberal arts in medieval universities
Deixis
a word or phrase (such as this, that, these, those, now, then, here) that points to the time, place, or situation in which a speaker is speaking
Principle of Compositionality
the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meanings of its constituent expressions and the rules used to combine them
Denotative meaning
The logical meaning, which indicates the essential qualities of a concept which distinguish it from other concepts
Connotative meaning
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
Social meaning
the meaning that a word possesses by virtue of its use in particular social situations and circumstances
Thematic meaning
lies in the manner in which a message is organized for emphasis
Theory of Naming
maintains that language is a
communication system which works with two elements; the signifier, and the signified
Conceptual Theory of Meaning
words and things are related through the mediation of concepts of the mind
Behavioristic Theory of Meaning
the description of a language is not complete
without some reference to the context of situation in which the language operated
Collocation
words which tend to occur with other words; e.g. hammer collocates with nail; wife with husband and knife with fork
