Semantics Key Terms & Phrases

Question 1

Semantics

Answer 1

the study of meaning in language

Question 2

Phonology

Answer 2

the study of the categorical organization of speech sounds in languages; how speech sounds are organized in the mind and used to convey meaning

Question 3

Morphology

Answer 3

the study of words, including the principles by which they are formed, and how they relate to one another within a language

Question 4

Polysemy

Answer 4

one form (written or spoken) having multiple meanings which are all related by extension

Question 5

Metonymy

Answer 5

figure of speech in which the name of an object or concept is replaced with a word closely related to or suggested by the original

Question 6

Verb Refer

Answer 6

having something particular in mind when saying a word; if you refer to a particular subject or person, you talk about them or mention them

Question 7

Speaker-reference

Answer 7

what the speaker is referring to by using some linguistic expression

Question 8

Linguistic-reference

Answer 8

the systematic devotion of some linguistic expression as part of a language

Question 9

Pragmatics

Answer 9

a field of linguistics concerned with what a speaker implies and a listener infers based on contributing factors

Question 10

Referent

Answer 10

the entity identified by the use of referring expression such as a noun or noun phrase is the referent of that expression

Question 11

Extension

Answer 11

refers to the set of all potential referents for a referring expression

Question 12

Prototype

Answer 12

A typical member of the extension of a referring expression is a prototype of that expression

Question 13

Stereotype

Answer 13

A list of characteristics describing a prototype

Question 14

Coreference

Answer 14

Two linguistic expressions that refer to the same real-world entity

Question 15

Anaphora

Answer 15

A linguistic expression that refers to another linguistic expressions said to be anaphoric or an anaphor

Question 16

Deixis

Answer 16

A deistic expression has one meaning but can refer to different entities depending on the speaker and his or her spatial and temporal orientation

Question 17

The Principle of Compositionality

Answer 17

the semantic meaning of any unit of language is determined by the semantic meaning of its parts along with the way they are put together

Question 18

Denotative Meaning

Answer 18

the logical meaning, which indicates the essential qualities of a concept which distinguish it from other concepts

Question 19

Connotative Meaning

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Social Meaning

Answer 20

It is the meaning that a word possesses by virtue of its use in particular social situations and circumstances

Question 21

Thematic Meaning

Answer 21

it lies in the manner in which a message is organized for emphasis

Question 22

The Theory of Naming

Answer 22

This theory, explained in Plato’s dialogue Cratylus maintains that language is a communication system which works with two elements; the signifier, and the signified.

Question 23

The Conceptual Theory of Meaning

Answer 23

words and things are related through the mediation of concepts of the mind

Question 24

The Behavioristic Theory of Meaning

Answer 24

states meaning in which terms of the context in which language is used; the description of a language is not complete without some reference to the context of situation in which the language operated

Question 25

Agent

Answer 25

the entity that performs the action

Question 26

Presupposition

Answer 26

a proportion (expressed in a sentence) that must be assumed to be true in order to judge the truth or falsity of another sentence

Question 27

Entailment

Answer 27

a proportion (expressed in a sentence) that follows necessarily from another sentence

Question 28

Benefactive

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Collocation

Answer 29

words which tend to occur with other words

Question 30

Metonymy

Answer 30

This relationship is essentially based on a close connection in everyday experience. It may be container-content relation, a whole-part relation, or a representative-symbol relation.