doc.

dr Dragana Luki
University of Biha
SEMANTICS: course info
RESOURCES:
1. J. R. Taylor: Linguistic Categorization, Prototypes
in Linguistic Theory, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1989.
2. J. R. Hurford, B. Heasley: Semantics: A
Coursebook, CUP, 1983.
3. R. M. Kempson: Semantic Theory, Cambridge
University Press
W. Frawley: Linguistic Semantics, Hillsdale,
Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, NJ, 1977.


5/11/2014 2
SEMANTICS: Objectives
to acquire knowledge of basic
concepts in the subject under study;
to explain and illustrate basic
concepts;
to be able to analyse examples
(words, phrases, sentences, etc.);
SEMANTICS: Goals
to enhance students critical reading
and thinking;

to help students develop analytical
skills;
Course activities
ATTENDANCE:
Obligatory 10 points
active work in class
participation in class discussions
Homework/test/quizzes
ASSESSMENT

end of course final test (written) 40
points
oral/written assignments - 6 points
Colloquium 22 points max. each
attendance 10 points
MAXIMUM 100 points
SEMANTICS

Semiotics
Semiology
Semasiology
The study of meaning - especially in words and
sentences.
LING 2000 - 2006


NLP

7
SEMANTICS

Semiotics
the study of signs and symbols
Semasiology
the analysis of the relation between
form and content, semantic change
SEMANTICS: the term 1
from Greek
semantiks having meaning
related to sma sign
SEMANTICS: the term 2
Michel Jules Alfred Bral
(1832- 1925)
regarded as a founder of modern semantics
the French SMANTIQUE - from Greek
(1893)
In 1900 Breal's book SEMANTICS:
Studies in the Science of Meaning
THE TERM : sum-up
the subject itself discussed in the
works of antique philosophers
(Plato and Aristotle)
the term not used till the 20
th

century
HISTORICAL SEMANTICS
Studies the changes of meanings of words
through time.
Four processes:
Narrowing/specification
Widening/extension
Deterioration of meaning
Elevation of meaning
HISTORICAL SEMANTICS cont.
Narrowing/specification
general specific notions
e.g. OE hund hound
(all kinds of dogs) (specific)
OE meat meat
(any kind of food) (specific)
HISTORICAL SEMANTICS cont.
Widening/extension
specific general notions
e.g. OE bird bird (general)
= a young small bird

HISTORICAL SEMANTICS cont.
Deterioration of meaning
better worse
e.g. OE knave = a boy/male servant
MdE knave = villain (hulja, nitkov)
HISTORICAL SEMANTICS cont.
Elevation of meaning
worse better
e.g. OE knight = boy, servant
MdE knight = title
QUESTIONS

?
SEMANTICS AND OTHER
DISCIPLINES
ETIMOLOGY
studies the origin and development of forms and
meanings of words
It comprises the older mean. & newer mean. &
specifies the development of mean.
Etimon the oldest found/reconstructed form of
word
FOLK ETYMOLOGY how not enough educated
people explain the meaning of words
Cf. buldoder kvarijes infrakt poluklinika
SEMANTICS AND OTHER
DISCIPLINES
ONOMASTICS
Studies the development of names:
anthoponyms the development of
persons names
toponyms - places
ethnonyms - nations
SEMANTICS AND OTHER
DISCIPLINES
LEXICOLOGY
Studies of lexemes
Lexicography art of dictionary-making
STYLISTICS
Stylistic variations in speech and writing

SEMANTICS AND OTHER
DISCIPLINES

PRAGMATICS (DISCOURSE ANALYSIS):
the study of meaning, as it depends on context
(speaker, situation)


High-level Linguistics (the good stuff!)


THE SCOPE OF SEMATICS
The scope of semantics provide the general theory of
meaning.
Compositionality: Offer a representation for words,
phrases, and sentences of a language and explain the
nature of the relations between them.
Ambiguities: Offer an analysis for ambiguities at the word
level, due to syntactic structure, and other at the sentence
level.
Sense relations: Entailment, contradiction, hyponymy,
synonymy, antinomy; semantic anomalies (e.g. to fall
upstairs)
Meaning and Reference: How are words, their
denotations and the things out there in the world related?
DIVISION OF SEMANTICS
LEXICAL SEMATICS
Deals with the meanings of lexemes
(words and phrases)
SENTENCE SEMANTICS
(SENTENTIAL)
Discusses the meaning of clauses and
sentences

Complications

Much of what we say is not simply the
assertion of truthful statements about the
world. e.g. You have a lovely dress.
Many things we say are ambiguous or have
indirect or multiple meanings.
Ambiguity: I made her duck. How do we
know which meaning is intended? How
many readings do this sentence have?

AMBIGUITY
Find at least 5 meanings of this sentence:
I made her duck
I cooked waterfowl for her benefit (to eat)
I cooked waterfowl belonging to her
I created the (plaster?) duck she owns
I caused her to quickly lower her head or body
I waved my magic wand and turned her into
undifferentiated waterfowl
At least one other meaning thats inappropriate for gentle
company.


QUESTIONS????
HOMEWORK
Reading and assignment:
J. R. Hurford, B. Heasley: Semantics: A Coursebook, CUP, 1983.
Units -1,2,3,7,10,11,12,16
group/individual/pair choose only ONE unit
send the list with the name of students and units to
your teacher by the end of APRIL
do the reading
do all practice
do study guide and exercises on a separate piece of
paper (type it) and give/email it to your teacher by
the end of MAY
collect 10 points!

THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION
CONTACT


lukic.dragana6@gmail.com