1Meaning (Lecture Five).ppt

Chapter Five Semantics;Introduction Definitions of semantics Semantics can be simply defined as the study of meaning in language. (Dai He, 2002, p. 67) Semantics is the study of linguistic meaning: the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences. (Wen, P. 210);Definitions of meaning What a language expresses about the world we live in or any possible or imaginary world. (Richards, Platt and Platt) Central semantic notion defined and used differently depending on the theoretical approach. (Bussmann);II. Meanings of Meaning;What does ‘capitalist’ mean to you?;Geoffrey Leech (1974, 1981). Semantics: The Study of Meaning. Seven types of meaning:;The five clocks by Martin Joos;III. Views on meaning Referential theory(Naming theory )Plato: The meaning of an expression is what it refers to . Limits: The theory seems to apply only to nouns. It cannot explain things that do not exist and words representing abstract notions.;Conceptualist view Illustrated by the semantic triangle suggested by Ogden and Richards. The theory holds that words and things are related through the mediation of concepts of the mind. Thought / Reference(concept) Symbol / Form (word) Referent(object) Limits: What is the link between the symbol and the concept? What does “thinking of the concept” mean? People do not actually see the image of something in their mind’s eye every time they utter a word.;Contextualism Representatively proposed by the British linguist J. R. Firth . It holds that meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context – elements closely linked with language behavior.; Eg: “black hair” and “black coffee” (linguistic context) The seal could not be found. (situational context)  ?;Behaviorism Based on contextualism, Bloomfield drew on behaviorist psychology in defining “meaning”. It’s illustrated by the following figu