This presentation is about semantics based on contemporary linguistics in the course of general linguistics in EMU

1. Semantics
Rabar A. Mahmood
15500099

2. Semantics
There are different perspectives of defining
Semantics by scholars, such as:
According to Syal and Jindal (2007), Semantics
is defined as the study of meaning in language.
They further say that, semantics is the branch of
linguistics mainly dealing with meaning.
Semantics is the study of the meaning of words,
phrases and sentences. (Yule,1996)

3. Semantic relations among words
(Lexical relations)
 Synonymy: freedom- liberty , answer-reply.
" Sameness of meaning”
The meaning of conceal= hide
-Cathy had only one correct answer in the test, its
near synonym reply would sound odd.

5.  Antonyms: happy-sad, alive- dead
A-Gradable antonyms: comparative, big, small.
B-Non-gradable antonyms (complementary pairs):
that person is not dead indeed means that person is
alive

6. Hypernym
Building
Hyponym
House Flat Factory
Villa Cottage Mansion

8.  Homonymy: Words that have the same spelling and
same pronunciation, but different meaning.
bank (of a river)-bank(financial institution)
 Homograph: Words that have the same spelling, but
different pronunciation and different meaning.
-The dove is a white bird.
-He dove into the pool.
 Homophony: Words that have the same
pronunciation, but different spelling and different
meaning. meet-meat, waste-waist.
 Polysemy: one form having multiple meanings, head,
used to refer to the object on top of your body, on top
of a glass of beer, on top of a company or department.
Homonymy

9. Semantic relations involving
sentences
 Paraphrasing: Korean husbands beat their wives.
Korean wives are beaten by their husbands.
 Entailment: whenever A is true then B must be true,
if the B is false so the A must be false too.
A:Labo is a dog.
B:Labo is an animal.

10. o Contradiction: Chacha is an orphan.
Chacha’s father is here.

11.  Meaning

12. Denotation can be synonymous with reference,
and connotation with sense.
The denotation
of this example
is a red rose with
a green stem. The connotation is that is
a symbol of passion and love—this is what the
rose represents.

13. Extension and Intention
David Cameron is the leader of the governing party.
Individual (name) concept
Extension intension

14.  How semantics help us to understand the nature of
language?
- The hamburger ate the man.
- My cat studied linguistics.
- A table was listening to some music.
Theses sentences are syntactically correct but
semantically odd

15.  The hamburger ate the man.
NP V NP
The kind of a noun which can be subject of the
verb “ate” must donate entities which are
capable of eating.
The noun “hamburger” does not have this
property but man has.

16. Semantic Features
 Semantic properties: the components of
meaning of a word.
 Meaning as collocation of properties/features
typically with two possible values (+ / -)
 Example of componential analysis:
Baby is [+ young],[+human],[+animate]

19. Conceptual system
Conceptual system capable of organizing every
imaginable aspect of our experience, inner
feelings, perceptions, to cultural and social
phenomena.
 Fuzzy concept: rich, old, strong, genius
 Graded Membership: Cristiano Ronaldo is
better foot ball star than Frank Lampard.

20. Metaphor: your are wasting my time
he is living on borrowed time.
A spatial metaphor:
-Positive (happy, health and life) up,
I am feeling up. He is at the peak of health.
-Negative (sad, dead, sickness ) down
I am feeling down. He is sinking fast.

21. The lexicalization of Concepts
 Languages are different in terms of how they express
particular concepts.
 Lexicalization: the process of making word to express
a concept: aput is snow on the ground
 Motion verbs: the rock rolled down the hill.
conflation pattern: (motion + manner)

22. Grammatical Concepts
They are used to express grammatical contrasts which
includes:
 Affixes like -ed for past,
more than one –s.
Re- for again
In-, un-for negation
 Non-lexical (functional) categories,
not for negation,
may for possibility
And for conjunction.

23. Syntax and Sentence
Interpretation
It studies the relationship between
syntax and semantics. In this topic
the interest is on how the
positioning of words and phrases in
a syntactic structure helps
determine the meaning of the entire
sentence.

24.  Constructional meaning: part of the meaning
can come from the construction.
Sam moved the car into the garage.
NP V NP PP
(caused-motion construction)
 Structural ambiguity: sentences diagrammed
more than one way
Wealthy men and women.

25. NP
AP N’
A’ N
A N Con N
Wealthy men and women
NP
NP NP
A’ N’ N’
A N Con N
Wealthy men and women

27. Thematic Roles
 Agent-Patient
Roles of NP in a sentence .
The boy kicked the ball .
Doer V entity affected
by the action
1 2
Agent theme/patient

28.  The boy hurt himself.
Agent theme
Jenny cut the rope with a knife.
Agent Theme instrument
Mary saw a fly in the garden.
agent theme location
Mary borrowed a book from George.
Agent theme source
The courier carried the documents from Aberdeen to London
Agent theme source goal

32. Deep Structure and Semantic role

33. The Interpretation Pronoun

34. Principle A and B