Definition of Semantic and The Study of Meaning

Definition of Semantic and Word Meaning: The Study of Meaning

1. Definition of Semantics Word Meaning : The Study of Meaning By Poppy Pujawetri 1132040100 PBI - C

2. Definition Semantics is a sub discipline of linguistics which focuses on the study of meaning. Semantics tries to understand what meaning is as an element of language and how it is constructed by language as well as interpreted, obscured and negotiated by speakers and listeners of language.

3. Semantics is interested in: How meaning works in language How the way in which words are put together creates meaning The relationships between words The relationships between sentences Ambiguity

4. Word Meaning: The Study of Meaning Linguists also attach different interpretations to the word meaning. Because the goal of linguistics is to explain precisely how languages are structured and used, among other things to represent situations in the world, it is important to distinguish among the different ways of interpreting the word meaning.

5. So meaning , in semantics, is defined as being Extension: The thing in the world that the word/phrase refers to, plus Intention: The concepts/mental images that the word/phrase evokes. A few examples will illustrate why we need to develop a precise way of talking about meaning . Consider these sentences : 1. I went to the store this morning. 2. All dogs are animals.

6. when we feel that there is something wrong with the meaning of a sentence, it may be because the sentence is contradictory, anomalous, ambiguous, or merely vague. One purpose of semantics is to distinguish among these different ways in which language “means.”

7. For our purposes we can initially distinguish three types of meaning. Linguistic meaning encompasses both sense and reference. Social meaning is what we rely on when we identify certain social characteristics of speakers and situations from the character of the language used. Affective meaning is the emotional connotation that is attached to words and utterances.