Semantics

Question 1

What is Semantics

Answer 1

The study of meaning encoded in language by focusing on signifiers (words, phrases, sentences, and symbols) and what they stand for

Question 2

Symbols

Answer 2

Arbitrary indicators of reference

Question 3

Signs

Answer 3

non-arbitrary indicator of reference, the sign is inherently related to what it is indicating

Question 4

Mental Lexicon

Answer 4

Mental dictionary of words we know

Question 5

Referent

Answer 5

the actual concrete item or concept to which a word refers to

Question 6

Ambiguity

Answer 6

A phrase, word, or sentence that has more than one possible meaning

Question 7

Synonyms (Synonymy)

Answer 7

Words that have the same meaning in some or all contexts

Question 8

Antonyms

Answer 8

Words that are opposite with respect to some component of their meaning

Question 9

Gradable Antonyms

Answer 9

found at opposite ends of a continuum
Ex. Cold… cool…. Warm…hot

Question 10

Non-gradable antonyms

Answer 10

which form a dichotomy (only two members) of a set
Ex. dead-alive , sleeping-awake

Question 11

Monosemy

Answer 11

is a word with only a single meaning
Ex. The word “the”

Question 12

Polysemy

Answer 12

Word with more than one related meanings
Ex. Bulb (flower/light) how are they related? - same shape
Can also be the same word with two different meanings

Question 13

Hyponymy

Answer 13

A TYPE of something
ex. Sundae- Dessert

Question 14

Co- hyponymy

Answer 14

Both parties are the same TYPE of thing
ex. Knife - Fork

Question 15

Partonymy

Answer 15

A Part of something
ex. Wheel - Bike

Question 16

Homography

Answer 16

Spelt the same way, different meanings

Question 17

Homophony

Answer 17

Pronounced the same way, different meanings

Question 18

Homophony & Homography

Answer 18

Spelled the same and Pronounced the same, Different meanings

Question 19

What are these two sentences examples of?
1. Mary left for Europe this morning
2. Mary is in her office at work

Answer 19

Contradiction

Question 20

What are these two sentences examples of?
1. John arrived in Toronto this morning
2. John was in Ontario

Answer 20

Entailment
(The first sentence is true, and therefore the second must be true as well)

Question 21

What are these two sentences examples of?
1. Jan bought this ring in Venice
2. This ring is from Venice, where Jan bought it

Answer 21

Paraphrase

Question 22

What are Sonorants?

Answer 22

Speech sounds that are produced with continuous, nonturbulent airflow in the vocal tract.
- voiced
- all sounds higher than fricatives are sonorants
- Can form the nucleus of a syllable

Question 23

Phonetics

Answer 23

The study of speech sounds and their physical properties including how they are pronounced, written, and perceived

Question 24

Infixes are:

Answer 24

Not used in English, but they are like prefixes and suffixes, but instead of being at the beginning or the end of a word, they’re in the middle

Question 25

Fricatives are:

Answer 25

A consonant sound that is produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together (airflow is partially obstructed)
ex. /f/ , /v/ , /s/ , /z/

Question 26

Fuzzy Concepts are:

Answer 26

• a set of entities that are not easy to establish
• Concepts without clear cut boundaries
• Not so easy to define using semantic features
  ex. furniture: set of all [+manmade] [+household item]

Question 27

What is the process of Conceptual Analysis

Answer 27

putting patronyms into groups of likeliness (diagram)

Question 28

Clear Concepts in the Conceptual system are:

Answer 28

• Include a fairly clear-cut set of entities
• Easy to define using semantic features
• ex. Women: set of all [+human] {+female] [- male]

Question 29

What are semantic features

Answer 29

[+] or [-] concepts to label and understand meaning behind words