Semantics Vocab Flashcards
Semantics
Level of linguistic analysis where meaning is analyzed - close to the human capacity to think logically and to understand.
Pragmatics
The branch of linguistics dealing with language in use and the contexts in which it is used, including such matters as deixis, the taking of turns in conversation, text organization, presupposition, and implicature.
Cratylus
Dialogue written by Plato. In it, Socrates is asked by two men, Cratylus and Hermogenes, to tell them whether names are “conventional” or “natural”, that is, whether language is a system of arbitrary signs or whether words have an intrinsic relation to the things they signify.
Signifier/Signified
A concept most commonly related to semiotic that can be described as “the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation”
Snobbish
Characteristic of those who incline to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior; elitist.
Coreference
Two linguistic expressions that refer to the same real-world entity.
Anaphora
A linguistic expression that refers to another linguistics expression.
Deixis
An expression that has one meaning but can refer to different entities depending on the speaker and his/her spatial and temporal orientation.
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.
Compositional Semantics
The meaning of a phrase is determined by combining the meanings of its subphrases, using rules which are driven by the syntactic structure.
Denotative
The logical meaning, which indicates the essential qualities of a concept which distinguish it from other concepts.
Connotative
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.
Themantic
To express the role that a noun phrase plays with respect to the action or state described by a governing verb.
Behaviorism
The theory that human and animal behavior can be explained in terms of conditioning, without appeal to thoughts or feelings, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior patterns.
Benefactive case
A grammatical case used where English would use “for”, “for the benefit of”, or “intended for”, e.g. “She opened the door for Tom” or “This book is for Bob”. The benefactive case expresses that the referent of the noun it marks receives the benefit of the situation expressed by the clause.
Synonymy
Two or more forms with very closely related meanings, which are often, but not always.
Antonymy
Two forms with opposite meanings, consisting of two kinds: Gradable (can be used in comparative constructions) and non-gradable (complementary pairs)
Hyponymy
When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another.
Prototype (Semantics)
The meaning of certain words like bird not in terms of component feature (e.g. has wings) but in terms of resemblance to the clearest exemplar.
Homophony
When two or more differently written forms have the same pronunciation but different meaning (ex; sea-see)
Homonymy
When one form (written or spoken) has two or more unrelated meanings, but have the same pronunciation and spelling. Ex: Bank (of a river) and bank (financial institution).
Polysemy
One form (written or spoken) having multiple meanings which are all related by extension. Ex: top refers to head of a company and head of a glass of beer.
Metonymy
A figure of speech in which a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept.
Collocation
Words which tend to occur with other words. Ex: hammer collocates with nail; wife with husband and knife with fork.
Homography
When two or more forms are the same only in writing but different in pronunciation and meaning. Ex: Lead (lid) and lead (led)
Entailment
A preposition (expressed in a sentence) that follows necessarily from another sentence.
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.
Synthetic Sentences
Sentences that are possibly true but not necessarily true. Descriptions of the world that cannot be taken for granted
Analytic Senteces
Sentences are true by definition, and are generally self-explanatory. Additionally, they often have little to no informative value. Ex: Elephants are animals Cats are not fish.
Contradictory Sentences
Opposite of analytic sentences; A sentence which is necessarily false, because of the senses of the words in the sentence. Ex: Elephants are not animals. Cats are fish.
