chapter-5--Semantics英语专业语言学课件.ppt

5 Semantics Semantics is the study of meaning in language.(p.104)It stands at the very center of the linguistic quest to understand the nature of language and human language ability because expressing meanings is what languages are all about.5SemanticsSemantics Meaning in Communication Linguistic meaning Sentence meaning Lexical meaningGrammatical meaning Speakers meaning Paralinguistic meaning Non-linguistic meaningMeaninginCommunicationLing Approaches to meaning 104 1.TheNamingTheory/referentialtheoryPlato 命名说 Definition:themeaningofanexpressioniswhatitrefersto,ornames.Approachestomeaning1041.Tchapter-5-Semantics英语专业语言学课件chapter-5-Semantics英语专业语言学课件The conceptualist view 2.Theconceptualistviewillustratedbythesemantictriangle/triangleofsignificance.Definition:Theinterpretationofmeaningislinkedthroughthemediationofconceptsinthemind.Problem:Whatisthelink?Theconceptualistview2.ThecTriangle of Reference by Ogden&RichardsTriangleofReferencebyOgdenContextualism3.Contextualism:Meaningshouldbestudiedintermsofsituation,use,context.Wittgenstein:the meaning of a word is its use in the language.J.R.Firth:“We shall know a word by the company it keeps.”Contextualism3.Contextualism:Context Linguisticcontext:co-text,wordscollocation.Eg.Blackcoffee,blacktea,blackpeople SituationalcontextParticipants(Personalities,Verbalaction,Nonverbalactionetc.)ActionsObjectsandeventsDeicticfeaturesContextLinguisticcontext:co-Behaviorism 107 4.BehaviorismBloomfield“situationinwhichthespeakeruttersitandtheresponseitcallsforthinthehearer.”SJillrsJackRBehaviorism1074.BehaviorismBtruth-conditional theory 109 5.Meaningastruthconditions:truth-conditionaltheory/semantics 真值理论drawsonformallogic 形式逻辑.Knowingthemeaningofasentencemeansknowingtheconditionsunderwhichthesentenceistrueorfalse.Problems109-110:truth-conditionaltheory1095.Leechs“Seven Meanings”1.conceptualmeaning 2.connotative 3.social 4.affective 5.reflective 6.collocative 7.thematicAssociative meaning Leechs“SevenMeanings”1.conDenotation and ConnotationDenotationisastraightforward,literalmeaningofthewordeverymemberofthelanguagespeakingcommunitywillagreeon.指称意义Connotationisnotthebasicmeaningofthewordbutsomeemotiveorevaluativemeaningsassociatedwiththewordbyindividuallanguageusersintheirmind.内涵意义DenotationandConnotationDenoLeechs“Seven Meanings”111-1.Conceptualmeaning(denotativemeaning/cognitivemeaning,centralmeaning,coremeaning)概念义-词的核心意义.2.Connotativemeaning(aboveitspurelyconceptualcontent.)内涵/附加义Leechs“SevenMeanings”111-1Leechs“Seven Meanings”112e.g.pig,dog,cat,etc.old(andwornout),blue(anddown-hearted),tall(andhandsome)Leechs“SevenMeanings”112An ass:a stupid foolish personA p i g:a d i r t y,g r e e d y o r i l l-mannered personAnass:astupidfoolishpersoAmonkey:achildwhoisfullofannoyingplayfulnessandtrickA parrot:a person who repeats,often without understanding,the words or actions of anotherAmonkey:achildwhoisfull Compared with conceptual meaning,connotative meaning is peripheral,unstable,indeterminate and open-endedComparedwithconceptualmeani 3.Social meaning 社会义p.113Aboutthecontextsorthesocialcircumstancesoflanguageuse,asreflectedindialects,slangs,jargonsandotherstylesoflanguageuse.e.g.steedhorsegee-geediminutivetinywee3.Socialmeaning社会义p.113Leechs“Seven Meanings”1134.Affective meaning/emotive(the feelings and attitudes of the speaker/writer)感情义 e.g.nigger,fascist,politician,statesman,copLeechs“SevenMeanings”1134.5.Reflective/reflected meaning 反映义(association with another sense of the same expression)e.g.intercourse,nucleur5.Reflective/reflectedmeaning 6.Collocative meaning搭配义 p.116:Theassociationsofawordgetsbecauseofthemeaningsofwordswhichtendtooccurinitslinguisticcontext.Meticulous,fussy;pretty,handsome,etc.Full(moon),completevictory6.Collocativemeaning搭配义p.Thematic meaning 主题义p.116 Meaningthatarisesoutofthewayinwhichthewriterorspeakerorganizeshismessage.Itsmainlyamatterofchoiceb/talternativegrammaticalconstructions.Jackwaspresentedwithagoldmedal.A gold medalwaspresentedtoJack.The Olympic CommitteepresentedJackwithagoldmedal.Thematicmeaning主题义p.116MeaninSense&reference(110)Sense（意义)is concerned with the inherent meaning of the linguistic form,the collection of all the features of the linguistic form.It is abstract and de-contextualized,the dictionary meaning.E.g.:dog:a domesticated canine mammal,occurring n many breeds that show a great variety in size and form.Sense&reference(110)Sense（意Sense&reference(110)Reference（所指）语义 Whatalinguisticfromreferstointherealphysicalworld;itdealswiththerelationshipb/tthelinguisticelements&thenon-linguisticworldofexperience.E.g.:Thedogisbarking.Sense&reference(110)ReferenSense&reference(add)Linguisticformshavingthesamesensemayhavedifferentreferencesindifferentsituations.Linguisticformswiththesamereferencemightdifferinsense.morningstar 启明星,eveningstar 冥王星Sense&reference(add)LinguisMajor sense relationshomonymy 121 Homonymy 同音/形异义,including:Homophones 同音词:rain/reign,night/night,Homographs 同形词:bowv./n.,tearv./n.Complete homonyms:fastadj./adv.,scalen./v.MajorsenserelationshomonymyMajor sense relations polysemy121-2Polysemy 一词多义：Whenawordhastwoormoremeaningsthatarerelatedconceptuallyorhistorically,itspolysemous,orpolysemic.Lexicographersdecision Etymology&Meaningrelation Polysemic wordsbelongtoOneentry,whereashomonymsshouldbeassignedtoseparateentries.MajorsenserelationspolysemyMajor sense relations synonymy 122ThemeaningdifferencesamongsynonymsDialect(AmE,BrE,Austral.,NZ,etc.)Register(Accounting,Music,Logic,Military,Law,etc.)Style(archaic,euphemism,taboo,slang,poetic,pompous,etc.)Formality(formal,informal,neutral,etc.)Attitude(Derogatory,Appreciative,etc.)Collocation(fullmoon,blondhair)MajorsenserelationssynonymyMajor sense relationsantonymy 123 Antonymy 反义词 is the oppositeness of meaning.Two antonyms share all but one semantic feature.man vs.woman:+/-female MajorsenserelationsantonymyMajor sense relationsantonymy 123 1.Gradable antonyms 可分等级反义词 High-low,rich-poor,old-young 2.Complementaries 互补反义词(ungradable antonyms)dead-alive,male-female,sleep-awake 3.Relationalopposites 关系反义词 teacher-student,buy-sell,let-rent,above-below MajorsenserelationsantonymyMajor sense relations:Hyponymy 124 Hyponymy 下义关系involvesthenotionofmeaninginclusion.Themeaningsofahyponym 下义词anditsco-hyponyms 并列下义词areincludedinthemeaningoftheirsuperordinate 上义词.Majorsenserelations:HyponymHyponymyHyponymyMajor sense relations:Hyponymy 124-5 Bird nightingalesparrow hawkSuperordinate/hyperonymhyponymsMajorsenserelations:HyponymMajor sense relations meronymycarWheelenginedoorpistonvalveEtc.MajorsenserelationsmeronymyMajor sense relationsmeronymy 125 Meronymyisatermusedtodescribeapart-wholerelationshipb/tlexicalitems 整体部分关系 Meronymyvs.hyponymy:Part-wholevs.general-specificMajorsenserelationsmeronymyQuestions Distinguishbetweendenotativeandconnotative meaning,andgiveexamplesofeach.Whatdistinctioncanwedrawbetweensense and reference?Whatisthedifferencebetweenlexical and grammatical meaning?QuestionsDistinguishbetweendQuestions Giveanoppositeforeachofthefollowingwords.Thendividethepairsintodifferenttypesofopposite relationsandexplainhowtheydiffer.parent,bad,fat,above,short,male,husband,strong,black,buy,married,old,open.ExplainandexemplifyhyponymyQuestionsGiveanoppositeforSemantic fields 语义场 117-8 Alsocalledlexicalfield,isasetofwordswithanidentifiablesemanticconnection.Wordscanbeclassifiedintosetsaccordingtotheirmeaning.Lexicalgap(词汇空缺):theabsenceofawordinaparticularplaceinasemnaticfieldofalanguage.E.g.:cousin=femaleormale?,cow+bull=?Semanticfields语义场117-8AlsoSemantic fields 语义场 118Markednessandunmarkedness 有、无标记性Thelessmarkedmembersofthesemanticfield1.areeasiertolearn;2.typicallyconsistsonlymoremorpheme3.cannotbedescribedbyanothermember;4.tendtobeusedmorefrequently;5.arebroaderinmeaningSemanticfields语义场118MarkednComponential analysis 118 CA（成分分析）isawayproposedbythestructuralsemanticiststoanalyzewordmeaning.Theapproachisbasedonthebeliefthatthemeaningofawordcanbedissectedintomeaningcomponents,calledsemantic features（语义特征）.Componentialanalysis118CA（成Componential analysis BinaryfeaturesandredundancyrulesareoftenusedinCA.Bachelor+human+adult+unmarried/-married+male Spinster+human+adult+unmarried/-married+femaleComponentialanalysisBinaryfeQuestionsDiscussion:Giveacriticalaccountofcomponential analysis.(cf:120)Exercises 2,5,7,8 on page 134QuestionsDiscussion:Sentence meaning 127-131Semantic roles 语义角色:Whodidwhattowhom,withwhom,andforwhom，including,Agent 行为者，patient 动作承受者/受事，experiencer 经历者,beneficiary 受益者,instrument 工具,location 场所 语义角色vs.语法角色ThesemanticroleofanounphrasediffersfromitssyntacticroleSentencemeaning127-131SemantSemantic relations b/t sentences1.Entailment 131 Akindofmeaninginclusion.Giventwosentencespandq,wesaypentailsq,if,wheneverpistrue,q isalsotrue,andifqisfalse,pisalsofalse.Ifpisfalsethenwecantsayanythingaboutq;itcaneitherbetrueorfalse.“Henrymurderedhiswife”entails“Henryswifeisdead.”Semanticrelationsb/tsentenc2.Presupposition Wesayppresupposes 预设q,if,wheneverpiseithertrueorfalse,qisalwaystrue.Ifqistrue,p couldbeeithertrueorfalse.Ifqisfalse,thenpdoesnothavetruthvalue 真值.“ThekingofFranceisbald”presupposes“ThereisakingofFrance”.2.PresuppositionWesayppresuSemantic relations b/t sentences1323.Synonymy 同义Hekilledthedog=Thedogwaskilledbyhim.4.Inconsistency 自相矛盾a.Heisabachelor.b.Heismarried.5.semanticallyanomalous 语义反常Colorlessgreenideassleepfuriously.Etc.Semanticrelationsb/tsentencQuestions Explaintheambiguityofthefollowingsentences a)Thelongdrillwasboring.b)Ittakesagoodrulertomakeastraightline.c)Hesawthatgasolinecanexplode.d)Thelambistoohottoeat.e)Oldmenandwomenwillbeservedfirst.f)Theyaremovingsidewalks.QuestionsExplaintheambiguityQuestions g)JohnlovesRichardmorethanMartha.h)Welaughedatthecolourfulball.i)Hewasknockedoverbythepunch.j)IsaidIwouldfileitonThursday.k)Icannotrecommendvisitingprofessorstoohighly.Seemoreonp.133:2Questionsg)JohnlovesRicharQuestions Whetheraentailsb,bentailsaorneitherentailstheother.a.Thischalklooksfunny.b.Thelightisbad.a.Iinvitedsomeofmyfriend.b.Ididntinviteallofmyfriends.a.Johngot40onallhispapers.b.Johnfailedhisexams.QuestionsWhetheraentailsb,Questions Whatarethepresuppositionsthatthefollowingsentencesmaycontain?a.SheregrettednotacceptingthegiftfromTony.b.TheVice-chancellorforgotthattheprofessorssupportedthestudent.c.HebelievesthatMaryishome.d.Shewantsmorepopcorn.QuestionsWhatarethepresuppo