简明新编英语语言学教程教案(26)

Chapter 5 Semantics

Semantics----the study of language meaning.

Meaning is central to the study of communication.

What is meaning?---- Scholars under different scientific backgrounds have different understandings of language meaning.

1. Some views concerning the study of meaning

1.1 Naming theory (Plato)

Words are names or labels for things.

Limitations:

1) Applicable to nouns only.

2) There are nouns which denote things that do not exist in the real world, e.g. ghost, dragon, unicorn, phenix…

3) There are nouns that do not refer to physical objects but abstract notions, e.g. joy, impulse, hatred…

1.2 The conceptualist view

The conceptualist view holds that there is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to (i.e. between language and the real world); rather, in the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind.

Ogden and Richards: semantic triangle

The symbol or form refers to the linguistic elements (words and phrases);

The referent refers to the object in the world of experience;

Thought or reference refers to concept.

The symbol or a word signifies things by virtue of the concept associated with the form of the word in the minds of the speaker; and the concept looked at from this point of view is the meaning of the word.

1.3 The contextualism

Meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context—elements closely linked with language behavior. Two types of contexts are recognized:

a. Situational context: spatiotemporal situation

b. Linguistic context: the probability of a word’s co-occurrence or collocation.

For example, “black” in black hair & black coffee, or black sheep differs in meaning; “The president of the United States”can mean either the president or presidency in different situation.

1.4 Behaviorism

Behaviorists attempted to define meaning as “the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearer”.

The story of Jack and Jill:

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