Unit 1

Unit 1

1. Topics of the unit

   • Semantics
     • Semantics is the study of the relationship between words and how we draw meaning from those words. People can absolutely interpret words differently and draw different meanings from them.
     • Semiotics
       • The study of meaning in general is done by semiotics. Semiotics studies how “signs” mean, that is, how we can make one thing stand for another (a “signifier” stands for a “signified”).
         • Semioticians find it useful to make a three-way distinction, first established by C.S. Pierce:
           • 1. Icon: a relation of similarity between the sign and what it represents; for example, a portrait, etc.
           • 2. Index: a cause-effect relationship; contiguity in space or time; for example, smoke and fire, yawning and boredom, vultures circling overhead a dead animal.
           • 3. Symbol: an arbitrary, conventional relationship between sign and meaning: for example, red flag and danger.
       • Reference
         • Reference is the relation between a language expression such as this door, both doors, the dog, another dog and whatever the expression pertains to in a particular situation of language use, including what a speaker may imagine.
         • Denotation
           • Denotation is the potential of a word like door or dog to enter into such language expressions. Denotation is the knowledge they have that makes their use successful.
           • Sense
             • Sense relations: the meaning of any expression varies with context, what other expressions it occurs with and what expressions it contrasts with.