Lecture 11 Flashcards
(18 cards)
Northern lights story
Northern lights means the spirits are dancing
If u whistle at them they take you away
It was to scare kids into staying near the village so that the werent playing in the bush where hungry animals would eat then
Semantics
The study of the meaning of linguistic expressions
A. Lexical semantics: what do individual words (lexemes) mean?
B. Compositional semantics: how does the meaning of complex expressions relate to the meaning of their individual parts
Lexical semantics
what do individual words (lexemes) mean?
Compositional semantics
how does the meaning of complex expressions
relate to the meaning of their individual parts?
Pragmatic
Study of how ppl use language in a social and interactive context to achieve communication goals
A convention
A customary way of doing some tu ing by a community
It can include completely arbitrary behaviour
A sign
Consists of:
-A form (the signifier)
-an associated interpretation (the signified)
3 types of signs
- an icon (signifier resembles the signified)
- an index (the signifier is physically or casually connected to the signified)
- a symbol (arbitrary connection between the signifier and signified, related by convention)
Icons
Form directly expresses its interpretation
Signifier perceptually resembles the signified
Most linguistic expressions are NOT iconic EXCEPT Onomatopoeia
Buzz
Hoot
Bark
Thump
Symbols
Most linguistic structures are symbols
House
English- house
French- maison
Chinese- jia
Spanish- casa
Beware- che
Indices
Signifier has a causal or physical relationship to the signified
Indices are also items that can only be understood contextually
Some linguistic expressions are indexical:
this student, that student
I/me, you, we/us, she/her
the hound, a hound
All linguistics structures are symbols
HOWEVER
They can also have iconic and/or indexical characteristics
What is meaning
Reference
What is “out there” in the world
Sense:
What is “inside” our heads
Why semantics is not only about meaning
Different expressions can refer to the same thing but differ in other aspects of meaning
Same dénotation, different connotation
Some expressions lack reference in the real world
Some linguistic structure don’t involve reference
Denotation
The meaning coded in the linguistic utterance, referring to some
entity
The meaning contained in a lexical item’s dictionary sense
Refers to some real or imagined entity
Connotation
Does not distinguish entities, but reflects additional emotional,
societal, or otherwise attitudinal information
