Semantics Flashcards
Semantics
study of the meaning of language
Definition
the meaning of a word
Hyponym
a word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it
Hypernym
a word with a broad meaning that more specific words fall under; a superordinate
Synonym
a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in the same language
Antonym
a word of opposite meaning
Referent
The entity identified by the use of a referring expression such as a noun or noun phrase is the referent of that expression.
Extension
Extension refers to the set of all potential referents for a referring expression
Prototype
A typical member of the extension of a referring expression is a prototype of that expression
Stereotype
A list of characteristics describing a prototype is said to be a stereotype
Coreference
Two linguistic expressions that refer to the same real-world entity are said to be coreferential
Anaphora
A linguistic expression that refers to another linguistic expression is said to be anaphoric or an anaphor
Deixis
deictic expression has one meaning but can refer to different entities depending on the speaker and his or her spatial and temporal orientation
The Principle of Compositionality
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
compositional semantics
deals with how those lexical meanings combine to form more complex phrasal meanings
lexical semantics
deals with individual word meanings
Denotative meaning
he 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
Social meaning
It is the meaning that a word possesses by virtue of its use in particular social situations and circumstances
Thematic meaning
It lies in the manner in which a message is organized for emphasis
Theory of Naming
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
Agent
The entity that performs the action
Theme
The entity that is involved in or affected by the action
Instrument
if an agent uses another entity in performing an action, that other entity takes the role of instrument
Benefactive
The noun or noun phrase that refers to the person or animal who benefits, or is meant to benefit, from the action of the verb
Experiencer
When an NP designates an entity as the person who has a feeling, apperception or a state, it fills the role of experience
Collocation
Those words which tend to occur with other words
presupposition
a proposition (expressed in a sentence) that must be assumed to be true in order to judge the truth or falsity of another sentence
