Chapter 1: Semantics in Linguistics

Chapter 1: Semantics in Linguistics

1. semantics is the study of the meanings of words and sentences

   • the relationship between sentences so that if we know sentence A we automatically know sentece B, is called entailment

2. Semantics and Semiotics

   • the study of the use of sign systems
     • an icon:similarity between a sign and what it represents index: the sign is closely associated with its signified symbol: only a conventional link between the sign and its signified

3. Challenges in semantics

   • circularuty, idiolect, and utterances mean in context

4. Word meaning and sentence meaning

   • we call the mental store of words a lexicon

5. the relationship by which language hooks onto the world is usually called reference

   • the semantic links between elements within the vocabulary system is an aspect of sense or meaning

6. utterance is created by speaking

   • sentences, are abstract grammatical elements obtained from utterances
     • propositions, are descriptions of states of affairs and which is seen as a basic element of sentence meaning

7. non-literal uses of language are called figurative and uses metaphor, irony, meronymy, synecdore, hyperbole, and litotes

   • in the literal language theory, metaphors and other non-literal uses of language require a different processing strategy than literal language

8. semantics and pragmatics

   • syntax: the formal relayion of signs to each other
   • the semantics is concerned with sentence meaning and pragmatics with speaker meaning

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