Lecture 2: Semantics 1

Question 1

What is Phonetics?

Answer 1

Studies how speech sounds are produced (articulate) and (acoustically) perceived

Question 2

What is Phonology?

Answer 2

Studies the behavior or patterning of speech sounds

Question 3

What is Morphology?

Answer 3

Studies the patterning of morphemes into words (word formation)

Question 4

What is Syntax?

Answer 4

The patterning of words into phrases (sentence formation)

Question 5

What is Semantics?

Answer 5

Studies correspondences between form and meaning (interpretation of words and sentences)

Question 6

What is the easy definition of Semantics?

Answer 6

It is the study of meaning

Question 7

What are the two types of Ambiguity?

Answer 7

Lexical Ambiguity and Structural Ambiguity

Question 8

What is Lexical Ambiguity?

Answer 8

When a word has more than one possible meaning

e.g., Bank

Question 9

What is Structural Ambiguity?

Answer 9

When a sentence can have more than one possible meaning

e.g., Visiting relatives can be boring

Question 10

What is Synonymy?

Answer 10

When the same meaning is expressed by different words

e.g. throw, hurl, toss

Question 11

What is Paraphrase?

Answer 11

When the same meaning is expressed by different words or sentences
e.g., Jack built this house - This house was built by Jack

Question 12

What are the 4 Logical Relations among sentences?

Answer 12

Entailment
Equivalence
Contradiction
Contrariety

Question 13

What is Entailment?

Answer 13

When the truth of one sentence requires the truth of another

e.g., John killed the fly entails/requires the truth of The fly is dead

Question 14

What is important to note about Entailment?

Answer 14

It is asymmetric

Question 15

What does Asymmetric?

Answer 15

The truth of S2 does not entail the truth of S1

Question 16

What is Equivalence or Paraphrase?

Answer 16

When the truth of S1 entails the truth of S2, and the truth of S2 entails the truth of S1
e.g., John gave sue a flower
John gave a flower to sue

Question 17

What is Contradiction?

Answer 17

When two sentences have opposite truth values

e.g., Ben is married contradicts Ben is a Bachelor

Question 18

What is a Contrariety?

Answer 18

When two sentences cannot be true at the same time (however, they can both be false)

Question 19

What are the 6 Semantic relationships between words?

Answer 19

Synonymy
Antonymy
Homonymy
Polysemy
Hyponymy
Partonymy

Question 20

What is Synonymy?

Answer 20

Words which have roughly the same meanings

e.g., Little - Small; teacher - instructor

Question 21

what is Antonymy?

Answer 21

Words with opposite meanings

e.g., Hot - Cold; Young - Old

Question 22

What are the two types of Antonyms?

Answer 22

Gradable Antonyms and Absolute Antonyms

Question 23

What are Gradable Antonyms?

Answer 23

When word may be placed on a scale

e.g., hot, warm, tepid, cool, cold

Question 24

What are Absolute (non-graded) Antonyms?

Answer 24

When the difference between two words is absolute

e.g., Alive - Dead

Question 25

What is Homonymy?

Answer 25

When words have the same form (sound and/or spelling) but unrelated meanings

Question 26

What are the two types of Homonymy?

Answer 26

Homophones and Homographs

Question 27

What are Homophones?

Answer 27

When two words have different spellings but sound the same
e.g., Bear - Bare
cite - site - sight
male - mail

Question 28

What are Homographs?

Answer 28

When two words have different pronunciations but they are spelt the same
e.g., tear - tear

Question 29

What is Polysemy?

Answer 29

A word with multiple related meanings

e.g., head (of a person, bed, department)

Question 30

What is Hyponymy?

Answer 30

The relationship between a specific word and a general class e.g. table is a kind of furniture

Question 31

What is Partonymy (Meronymy)?

Answer 31

Part whole relationship

e.g., Arm is a part of body