Semantics:

The Meaning of Meaning

A.L.S., August 2015
Summary Presentation for Discussion and Expansion
References: Poole (1999), Brown et al. (1994)

Defining Semantics
While lexis studies words as the existing entities
or building blocks within a languages
vocabulary, semantics explains the purpose of
such words.
Lexemes -words- may deliver meaning, or play a
function between other words:
In A doctor, the new champion :
<doctor, new, champion> are meaning content
words, while
<A, the> are function words, connecting and
supporting neighboring content words.

Which Areas of Study Does

Semantics Target?
The concept of meaning within and between
words.
The scope of meaning within related words.
Ways in which words alter the meaning of other
words.
The human factor in the acquisition, retaining
and transformation of the meaning of words.

Defining Meaning
It refers to the specific message delivered
as we use words or words.
Its what Odgen and Richards (1985)
identify as the thought of reference, or
what links our perception of something
with an actual item, place or situation.
Its the actual cargo within a word.

Semantic Range, Semantic

Field
Poole (1999) defines semantic range it as
3the set of items that we identify by
means of a word or a lexeme, or in other
words, what a word allows us to identify.
A semantic field however, is constituted by
sets of items that are related by sharing
something in common, and each set of
items is identified by specific words or
lexemes.

Semantic Range,
Semantic Field:

Study and Compare

Semantic RANGE
of the word <play> :

Children play outside.

The young prodigy played
a piano concerto.
The play was acclaimed
by the critics.
Education played an
important role in her life.

A Semantic FIELD:
fruit
citric
tangerine

grapefruit
orange

navel

valencia

Relationships within
Semantic Range
By technique:
- Hyponymy, the hierarchical arrangement or
grouping of words according to specific criteria,
as in
emotion > love
- Componential analysis, roles acquired by related
words according to separate criteria, as in
mother, aunt, daughter > female
father, uncle, son
> male

Relationships within
Semantic Range
By reference:
- Synonyms, words with similar meanings,
as in
big / large
- Antonyms, word with opposite meanings,
as in
small / big

Collocation and Idioms

Collocation refers to how words are placed in
relation to each other to imply a specific meaning,
while choosing or excluding words of similar or
related meaning, as in
white sugar
vs. refined sugar
An idiom (or idiomatic expression) refers to a
phrase or sentence which cannot be understood by
the mere sum or literal interpretation of its
components, but rather by a fixed meaning
associated with it, as in
jumping on the bandwagon
(joining a situation when its already proven to be a
success, with no role from the start)

Homonymy vs. Polysemy

Homonymy refers to different lexemes that share
the same form, as in
band =a musical group
band =a thin, flat strip
Polysemy refers to a single lexeme associated
to two or more similar meanings as in,
He turned his head and smiled
and
Mr. Larsen is the science departments head

Homographs and Homophones

Homographs :
wind = current of air
wind = tortuous, turning movement
Homophones:
Meet our new neighbor
The meat is in the freezer

/wnd/
/wand/

The Influence of Connotation

Connotation refers to the actual meaning of a
word or group of words historically or usually
associated with one specific item or situation,
altered or changed by social conventions,
context, intonation, or other factors, as in the two
more common cases:
- Taboo, a socially unacceptable word, or
- Euphemism, a word with no social use
restrictions deliberately employed to refer to a
sensitive item, topic or situation.