1. Universiti Sains Malaysia
HXE302/4 – Linguistics
II (Semantics)
Tutorial - 1

2. What is semantics?What is semantics?
Semantics - A
classroom in which
meanings are discussed
(Actually, this is just a
door. The classroom is
on the other side of the
door.)

3. Provide an explanation to
the following concepts
and terms:
Semantics
Semiotics
Sentence (word) meaning
Speaker meaning
Sense
Reference
Denotation

5. Write down in your
own definition of the
word ‘meaning’ .

6. How could you describe each of the
following uses of the word ‘mean’?
 It’s a good job he doesn’t know what
‘malaka’ means.
 He didn’t mean to hurt you.
 Her life lost all the meaning.
 The red flag means its dangerous to swim.
 I’m sure she didn’t mean to pour olive oil
in your hair.

7.  I think that means she isn’t coming
back.
 ‘Irony is the gab between what is said
and what is meant’.
 A stalling car may mean a tune-up.
 It wasn’t what he said but what he
meant.

8.  What does the German word Hund
means?
 Those clouds mean rain.
 Calligraphy means beautiful
handwriting.
 Mean it? I didn’t even say it.

9. The word ‘mean’ can be applied to people who use
language,i.e. to speakers on roughly the sense of
‘intend’. (speaker meaning)
And it can be applied to words and sentences in a
different sense, roughly expressed as ‘be
equivalent’.(sentence or word meaning)
 Do the following two English sentences mean
(approximately) the same thing?
I’ll be back later.
I will return after some time.

10. Which of the following items tend to illustrate sentenceWhich of the following items tend to illustrate sentence
meaning and which illustrate speaker meaning?meaning and which illustrate speaker meaning?
 A bachelor is an unmarried man.
 A red light means stop.
 My feet are killing me.
 I could eat a horse.
 Don’t bite my head off.

11. Provide a semantic meaning and a pragmaticProvide a semantic meaning and a pragmatic
meaning for the underlined words:meaning for the underlined words:
Mike and Annie are in the living room.
Mike asks Annie whether she’d like to eat
dinner in the living room or the kitchen.
Annie replies: its cold here.
How was the party?
Don’t ask!