Sentence Meaning Flashcards
What is sentence meaning
- Sentence meaning refers to the interpretation that can be derived from the arrangement of words within that sentence.
- Applying the principle of referent and structure to understand the conceptual meaning of a sentences.
- syntactic rule determines the meaning of the sentence based on the referent of the word.
Sentence meaning divided into main categories which is
- Denotative meaning: literal or objective meaning of a sentence that can be
taken without considering context or emotion. For example, “The cat is sleeping on the sofa,” the denotative meaning clearly indicates that a cat is on the sofa in a sleeping state. - Connotative meaning: refers to the additional meaning that arises based on social or emotional context. For example, in a sentence like “He’s as loyal as a dog,” the connotative meaning highlights positive traits associated with dogs, such as loyalty and friendship, rather than simply referring to the animal itself.
What is the principle of referent
The principle of referent pertains to the conceptual meaning of words within a sentence. It emphasizes how the meanings of individual words contribute to the overall understanding of a sentence
What is the principle of structure
The principle of structure refers to the organization and combination of words to form sentences according to syntactic rules. The arrangement of words in a sentence follows specific grammatical rules that dictate how different parts of speech interact.
This principle is essential for understanding how larger units, such as sentences, are composed of smaller constituent units, which can include words and phrases.
What is principle of structure
This principle focuses on how words are organized to form sentences according to syntactic rules. A larger unit (the sentence) is composed of smaller units (words), and the arrangement affects the overall meaning.
According to Chafe, what is predicate
These are the parts of a sentence that express actions or states. Chafe identifies various types of predicates:
- State Predicates: Describe conditions (e.g., “The class is open”).
- Action Predicates: Indicate actions and process (e.g., “Mr. Subhan teaches semantics”).
According to Chafe, what is an argument
Argument is a component of a sentence that provides essential information about the action or state expressed by the predicate. Arguments help clarify who or what is involved in the action and can vary in type based on their roles within the sentence.
Types of argument according to Chafe
- Agentive (A): The actor performing an action (e.g., “The dog barks”).
- Experiencer (E): The entity that experiences or is affected by an action (e.g., “She felt joy”).
- Benefactive: The recipient of a benefit (e.g., “He bought flowers for her”).
- Instrumental: The means or tool used to perform an action (e.g., “He broke the window with a hammer”).
- Locative: Indicates the location where an action occurs (e.g., “The book is on the table”).
- Temporal: Specifies the time when an action takes place (e.g., “The meeting starts at 10 AM”).
- Comitative: Indicates companionship or togetherness in an action (e.g., “My brother goes to campus with his friend”).
- Objective: The most neutral case, often indicating the direct object of an action (e.g., “Maya opened a tin with a tin opener”).
- Source: Describes the origin of an action or state (e.g., “The house was made out of bamboo”).
- Goal: Indicates the endpoint or outcome of an action (e.g., “I went to campus by bike”).
What are the types sentences
- Declarative Sentences: These sentences make statements .For example, “I am a handsome man.”
- Interrogative Sentences: These sentences ask questions. For example, “Are you going to class?”
- Imperative Sentences: These sentences issue commands or requests. For example “Be quiet!”
- Exclamative Sentences: These sentences express strong emotions or surprise. For Example, “What a great idea!” or “How horrible!”
What are sense relation
Sense relations refer to the relationships between meanings of sentences or propositions, which help in understanding how different statements relate to each other in terms of their meaning.
types of sense relations
- Paraphrase/Synonymy: This relation occurs when two propositions have the same meaning. For example, “Ardi is always punctual” can be paraphrased as “Ardi is always on time.”
- Entailment: This involves a situation where the truth of one proposition guarantees the truth of another. For instance, if “Ilham’s motorcycle was stolen last night,” it entails that “Ilham has no motorcycle anymore.”
- Presupposition: This refers to background assumptions that must be accepted for a statement to make sense. For example, “Ardi got punishment by the lecturer” presupposes that Ardi may have committed an offense, such as not doing the assignment.
- Contradiction: This occurs when two statements cannot both be true at the same time. For example, “The orphan has a mother” contradicts a scenario where the orphan is defined as having no parents.
- Tautology: A tautological statement is one that is necessarily true, such as “Ardi is a man” or “My brother is older than me.”
- Inconsistency: This refers to statements that cannot logically coexist. For example, saying “I have no money” is inconsistent with “I always come to Starbucks,” implying regular spending.
- Anomaly: An anomaly refers to unusual or nonsensical statements, such as “The beggar’s house costs 10 million per month,” which seems implausible given the context.
- Ambiguity: This occurs when a statement can be interpreted in multiple ways. For instance, “I am hungry; I want to go to the classroom” could mean either wanting to eat in class or taking a break there.
