LECTURE 12

Meaning as Propositional Calculus

suggests that understanding sentences involves breaking them down into basic propositions and using logical operations

Intension

is the meaning achieved by the words in the sentence, intension assumes the word has an intrinsic meaning

Extension

is what the sentence refers to. Is the set of objects in the world to which the word corresponds

Constantives

These are statements that can be evaluated as true or false

Performatives

These are utterances that don't just describe a state of affairs but also perform an action

preposition/core meaning

Simple sentences use basic logic, like "and" and "or", to connect ideas, more complex senteces emerge when words like "some", "supposing", and "all" are added.

Culture-dependent Languages

languages and meanings are culture-dependent because different cultures may have unique words, grammar structures, and concepts

Culture-specific words

Certain words may exist in one language to express concepts specific to that culture, lacking direct equivalents in others

Culture-specific grammar

Grammar structures can reflect cultural nuances, impacting how ideas are conveyed

Culture-specific Concepts

Cultures may have concepts with no direct counterparts in other languages, reflecting distinctive cultural values

Schemes/Scripts

These refer to mental frameworks or organized structures of knowledge that help interpret and process information. Schemas involve general knowledge about the world, while scripts are more specific, detailing expected events in particular situations.

The concept of DOWRY

phenomenon where a word or morpheme carries additional meaning, often related to its historical or cultural context

Principle of compositionality

the meaning of a sentence comes from the meanings of its words and how they are put together

Lexicon and Semantics

in linguistics the lexicon refers to the vocabulary of a language, and semantics deals with the meaning of words.

Vocabulary of Language (Lexicon)

This includes the words in a language, organized in a system with semantic structure. This structure involves relationships between words, both in terms of how they're similar and how they're used together

Sense of Lexical item

The sense of a word is the set of relations it has with other words in the same lexical system.

Reference

is the connection between words and the things, events, actions or qualities they represent. It's the relationship between words and their real-world "referents".

Paradigmatic Relations of Sense

This involves words that can occur in the same context like color terms that belong to a related set.

Syntagmatic Relations of Sense

This relates to the co-occurence of words.

Connotation (Associative Meaning)

Connotation refers to the additional, often emotional or cultural, meanings associated with a word beyond its literal definition.

Denotation (Reference)

Denotation is the primary, literal meaning or reference of a word. It is the specific, objective meaning that can be found in a dictionary.

Componential analysis (semantic features)

"The hamburger ate the man" It breaks down the elemnts of the sentence. Doesn't fit the expected features of an animate, living being

Polysemy

is when a word has two or more related meanings

Homonymy

involves words that share the same form but have different meanings. There are different types

Real homonyms

words like "bank" (financial institution) and "bank" (side of a river) are real homonyms because they have the same form but unrelated meanings

Homophones

Words like "course" and "coarse" sound the same but have different meanings

Homographs

Words like "wind" (to twist) and "wind" (air movement) are homographs - they look the same but mean different things

Interlanguage Homonyms (False Friends)

These are words in different languages that look similar but have different meanings

Synonyms

are words or phrases with similar meanings, capturing various shades of meaning.

Absolute Synonyms

These synonyms are entirely interchangeable in all contexts.

Complete Synonyms

Represents words that are identical in both cognitive and emotive senses. Achieving true complete synonymy can be challenging, but it implies no distinction in either meaning or emotional connotation

Close synonyms

Close synonyms have similar meanings but may be used in slightly different contexts or convey subtle differences. For instance, "jump" and "leap" both refer to a similar action but might be employed in distinct situations.

Synonyms differing in intensity

These synonyms share a common meaning but differ in intensity

Synonyms in Phraseology

Certain synonyms are used in specific phrases or contexts.

Tautonyms

refer to synonyms across different varieties of a language