This document provides an overview of semantics and various linguistic concepts related to semantics. It discusses semantics and defines it as the study of meaning in language. It also defines key semantic concepts such as lexemes, lexical relations like synonymy and antonymy, semantic features, semantic roles, polysemy and metonymy. Examples are provided to illustrate each concept. The document is intended as part of a presentation on semantics submitted to a professor.

1. LINGUISTICS
PRESENTATION ON SEMANTICS
SUBMITTED TO:
MAM SAIQA ANDLEEB

2. Group members
Rafaqat Minhas 191670347
Ayesha Riaz 191670340
Gulzaiba Nasar 191670367
Ayesha Shabbir 191670316
Abdul Wahab 191670313
Muhammad Ali 191670359

3. SEMANTICS
• Semantics is taken from the GREEK word “SEMANTIKOS” meaning
“Sign”
• The word semantics was first used by a French man named
Micheal Breal
• Semantics can include simple or very complicated ideas

4. DEFINITIONS
• The study of meaning of words, phrases and sentences.
• Semantics is the study of the meaning of human language.

5. MAKE THE LANGUAGE SIMPLE
• Semantics makes the language simple and it focuses on
meanings. It tells us how the meaning is constructed by language
as well as explained.

6. CONCEPTUAL AND ASSOCIATIVE MEANING
• Conceptual meaning:
The basic components of meaning conveyed by the literal use of word.
Basic components of a word like Needle would be Thin,sharp steel instrument.
The components would be conceptual meaning for needle
• Associative meaning:
In semantics the study of meaning British linguistics Geoffery Leach introduced the
term associative meaning.
A person may think of needle as concepts like Pain,illness,threads,knitting,blood,hard to find etc.

7. • We can describe the meaning of words by doing
semantics features, meanings and what kind of
feature a word has.
HOW WE CAN DESCRIBE THE MEANING OF DIFFERENT WORDS?

8. SEMANTIC FEATURES
Definition:
Semantic features is the specific features of a word that helps to decide if the word
fits based on the context of a sentence.
According to George Yules:
The study of language 5th addition states that semantic features are
basic element such as [+human] or [-human] used in an analysis of the components of a words
meanings

9. WHAT WRONG WITH THESE SENTENCE?
If we read the following sentences:
• The hamburger ate the boy.
• The car speaks to the man.
• The horse is reading a book.
• The cat is cooking the food.
• Lamp is eating cake.

10. PROBLEMS OF SEMANTIC FEATURES
The kind of subject for reading must be a humans
The kind of subject for speaking must be a living being and most probably a human being
Such an element would be assigned as animate being

11. SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS
Book Horse Boy Man Girl Woman
Animate - + + + + +
Human - - + + + +
Female - - - - + +
Adult - + - + - +

12. HOW SEMANTIC FEATURE HELPS
• The ___ is reading a newspaper.
• The ___ is teaching to the students.
• Undoubtedly, in first sentence it would be a human and in addition it may be a man ,woman ,girl or boy.
• We would say that “man”[+human,+adult,+animate,-female]
• In the second sentence,the answer would be surely a teacher. In addition if it is a young girl then we say
“girl”[+animate,+female,-adult,+human].

13. LIMITATION OF SEMANTIC FEATURES
• For many words this method is not applicable.
• Feelings such as happiness,sad,beauty,advice,threat,etc.
• Such words calls “containers”that carry meaning components.

14. SEMANTICS ROLES:
• Agent
• Theme/Patient
• Instrument
• Cause
• Experiencer
• Stimulus
• Benefactive
• Temporal
• Recipients
• Locative

15. • Agent:
Agent is the semantics roles of a person or thing who takes action of an event.
Example:
Jerry hit Tom
• Theme/Patient:
The entity undergoing the effect of some action often change of state.
Example:
Tom was hit by Jerry

16. • Instrument:
Is the tool, machinery and device that was used to carry out human process event in the
environment.
Example:
Tom smashed Jerry with baseball bat
• Cause:
Cause is an inanimate or any natural force that bring about the change of state.
Example:
Jerry was frozen by winter strom.

17. • Experiencer:
The entity which experiences or under goes the effect of an action.
The entity that receives a sensory impression.
• Stimulus:
The entity that prompts sensory or emotional feelings and cause an effect in experiencer.
Example:
Tom is afraid of spike.

18. • Benefactive:
The entity benefits from the action or event.
Example:
Tom baked cake for his girlfriend.
• Recipients:
The entity/arguments that receive something in situation.
Example:
Tom gave his girlfriend a bunch of flowers.

19. • Temporal:
Is the time at which the action or state occurs.
Example:
Tom woke up at 6:00 clock.
• Locative:
Locative is the semantics role which identifies the location.
Example:
A cradle is the plan where spike’s baby sleep.

20. SEMANTICS ROLES
• Semantics roles are the roles that a participant plays in some real or imagined situation.
• Semantics roles are also known as Thematic roles or Thematic relation.
Words fulfill different roles within the situation described by a sentence.
Examples:
Tom was hit by Jerry.
In this sentence verb hit is the action.
Noun phrases Tom and Jerry described the roles of entities.

21. LEXEME
• A minimal form that conveys one meaning and can be used in
reference or prediction.
Example
• The form of lexeme
Walk …… Walked …… Walking

22. LEXICAL RELATIONS
• A Lexical relation is a culturally recognized pattern of association
that exists between lexical units in a language
• The lexical relation in which two or more words have very closely
related meanings
• How meanings relate to each other

23. SYNONYMY
• Synonymy is the state or phenomenon in which the words that
sound different (different in pronunciation) but have the same or
identical meaning as another word or phrase.
• The concrete form of synonym is called synonymy

24. EXAMPLES
Words
• Big
• Broad
• Intelligent
• Nice
• Weak
• Slim
Synonyms
• Large
• Wide
• Clever
• Pleasant
• Feeble
• Slender

25. ANTONYMY
• Antonymy is the state or phenomenon in which the sense relation which involve the opposite of
meaning.
• The concrete form of antonym is called antonymy.
• Two forms with opposite meanings are called antonyms
Examples:
Man Woman
Happy Sad
Old Young
Dark Light
False True
Small Big
• Antonyms are further categorized into gradable and non gradable.

26. HYPONYMY
• When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another the
relationship is describe as hyponymy.
Example :
Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black is [+Color ]
We can say that the RED is a hyponymy of colour and so on.

27. HOMOPHONY
• When two or more different forms have the same pronunciation,they are describe as homophones
• Different words pronounced the same but spelled differently and different meanings.
• Homophony are words which have different written forms but the same pronunciation.
Such as:
Meat / Meet
Right / Write
Pail / Pale
Bare / Bear
To / Two / Too

28. POLYSEMY
• Polysemy derived from Greek word
• Poly means many and Semy means Sign
Definition:
• The coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.
Example:
Arms bend at the elbow
Germany sells arms to Saudia Arabia
The key broke in the lock

29. MENTONYMY
Definition :
The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant.
Example:
England decides to keep check on immigration.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Let me give you a hand.

30. Thank you