Slide semantic meeting 1

Semantics 1
Meeting 1


Section 1: Introduction
Linguistics

Syntax

Semantics

Pragmatics

The study of grammar The study of meaning The study of meaning
in language
EX1:

in context

A: ‘Did you finish that report?’
B: ‘I started it.’

1/ ‘I began to do it.’ (Semantic meaning)
2/ ‘I didn’t finish it’ (Pragmatic meaning)


Section 1: Introduction
EX2:

A: ‘We are going to the movies.’
B: ‘I have got an exam tomorrow.’

1/ Tomorrow there will be an exam for me. (Semantic meaning)
2/ I am sorry. I am not going to the movies (Pragmatic meaning)

1.1 What is semantics?
The study of meaning in language (i.e. what language means.)
Semantics is a part of linguistics.


Section 1: Introduction
1.2 Semantics and its aspects
Semantics

Word meaning
Ex: remarried

Sentence meaning

Utterance meaning

Ex: She is not remarried. A: ‘How is the pastor?’

[ + human]

[ + married again]

B: ’He is remarried.’

[ ± male]

1/ Pastors are allowed by rule

[ + used to be married]

to get married.

[ + married again]

2/ Pastor was once married


Section 2: Word Meaning
 Student (n):One who attends school
One who seeks the knowledge from professional teachers

 Tailor (n):One whose occupation is to cut out and make men’s garments
2.1 What is word meaning?
- Word meaning is what a word means.
2.2 Semantic features
[+ human]
Ex1. father: [+ male]
[+ mature]
[+ parental]
[+ paternal]

Semantic features


Section 2: Word Meaning
Ex2. hen:

[+ animate]
[+ bird]
[+ fowl]
[+ full grown]
[+ female]

Semantic features

2.2.1 What are semantic features?
 The smallest units of meaning in a word.
 Semantic components
 Semantic properties


Section 2: Word Meaning
2.2.2 Characteristics
2.2.2.1 Redundancy rule
Ex3. father
girl

+ human
+ animate

→ Redundancy rule

professor
Ex4. father:

[+ human / - inhuman ]
[+ male

/ - female ]
[+ mature / - immature]
[+ parental/ - maternal ]
→ Negative semantic features
Redundancy rule


Section 2: Word Meaning
2.2.2.2 Different words  same semantic features
Ex5.:

Ex6.: Mother

Doctor
Engineer

Father

Teacher

Son

Physicist

+ professional

Daughter

Chemist

Brother

Tailor

Sister

hairdresser

Grandparent
Aunt
Uncle

+ kinship


Section 2: Word Meaning
2.2.2.3 Same semantic features → Different parts of speech
Ex7.: Mother (n)

Ex8.: school (n)

Breast-feed (v) + female

teacher (n)

Pregnant (a)

textbook (n) + educational
Teach (v)
Educate (v)

Instruct (v)

2.2.2.4 Grammatically correct
Syntactically perfect

Semantically anomalous

Ex9: My brother is an only child

Brother [+ having at least one sibling] >< only child [+ having no other
sibling]


Section 2: Word Meaning
Ex10: The bachelor is pregnant.

bachelor [+male] >< pregnant [+female]
Ex11: Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

colorless [-color] >< green [+green in color]
 ideas [+abstract] >< sleep [+concrete/+animate]
 sleep ( well/badly/soundly) >< sleep furiously
• Notes :
- The semantic properties of words determine what other
words they can be combined with.
- Thanks to knowing the semantic properties of words, we
know when two words are antonyms, synonyms or
homonyms or unrelated in meaning.

EXERCISE 1
1. (a) lobster, shrimp, crab, oyster, mussel [ + shellfish]

[+ edible water animal]

1. (b) trout, sole, herring, salmon, mackerel [ + fish]
2. (a) widow, mother, sister, aunt, seamstress [ + female ]
2. (b) widower, father, brother, uncle, tailor

[+ human]

[ + male ]

3. (a) bachelor, son, paperboy, pope, chief [ + human ]
3. (b) bull, rooster, drake, ram, stallion

[ + animal ]

4. (a) table, pencil, cup, house, ship, car

[ + solid ]

[+ animate; + male]
[+ inanimate; + concrete]

4. (b) milk, tea, wine, beer, water, soft drink [ + liquid ]
5. (a) book, temple, mountain, road, tractor

[ +concrete thing ]

5. (b) idea, love, charity, sincerity, bravery, fear [ + abstract notion ]

[+ inanimate]


EXERCISE 1
6. (a) rose, lily, tulip, daisy, sunflower, violet

[ + flowering plant]

6. (b) ash, oak, sycamore, willow, beech [ + deciduous tree] [+ plant]
6. (c) pine, cedar, jew, spruce, cypress

[ + evergreen tree]

7. (a) book, letter, encyclopedia, novel, note book, dictionary [ + thing to read or write]

7. (b) typewriter, pencil, ballpoint, crayon, quill, charcoal, chalk [ + thing used to write or draw with ]

 [ + non-living thing]
8. (a) walk, run, skip, jump, hop, swim [ +movement made without the help of any means]

8. (b) fly, skate, ski, ride, cycle, canoe, hang-glide[ + movement made with the help of a certain kind of means

[+ movement/ +way of movement]


EXERCISE 1
9. (a) ask, tell, say, talk, converse

[ + generic]

9. (b) shout, whisper, mutter, drawl, holler [ + specific] [+ way of talking]
10. (a) alive, asleep, awake, dead, half-dead, pregnant
10. (b) depressed, bored, excited, upset, amazed, surprised

 [ + state closely associated with living things]

[ + physical state ]
[ + emotional state ]


EXERCISE 2
1. Child: + human

3. Hen:

+ animate

- mature

+ bird

± male

+ fowl

+ innocent

+ fully grown

+ female

2. Aunt: + human

4. Oak: + plant

± mature

+ deciduous tree

+ female

+ tough hard wood

+ father’s/ mother’s sister (-in-law)


EXERCISE 2
5. flower: + part of a plant
+ colored
+ usually good-smelling

+ plant

6b. Palm:

+ tree
- branches
+ a mass of large wide leaves at the top

+ in warm or tropical climate

6a. Palm: + part of a hand

7. bachelor: + human

+ inner surface

+ mature

+ between the wrist and the fingers

+ male
+ stay single


EXERCISE 2
8. Actress: + human

10. Ewe:

+ animate

+ female

+ sheep

+ professionally artistic

+ fully grown

+ perform a role

+ female
+ producing wool and meat

9. Plod:

+ motion
+ walk
+ slowly and laboriously

11a. Fly : + motion
+ through air or space
+ fast
+ wings or a means of transport


EXERCISE 2
11b. Fly: + animate

14. Beauty:

+ insect

+ attractive feature

+ two wings

+ combination of shape, color, behavior, etc.

+ in and around the house

12. Stallion : + animate

+ giving pleasure to senses

13. Police officer :

+ human

+ horse

± male

+fully grown

+ member of the police force

+ male

+ disciplined

+ for breeding


EXERCISE 2
15. imagine: + mental state

17. Drive:

+ motion

+ form a concept or an image

+ operate

+ thoughtfulness

+ related to a vehicle

16.
+ animate
Doe:
+ deer
+ reindeer
+ rabbit or hare
+ fully grown
+ female

18. Home: + thing
+ place for human habitation
+ closely related to family


EXERCISE 2
+ plant

19. Elm: + plant

21. Rose: + bush

+ deciduous tree

+ sweet-smelling flowers

+ large rough-edged leaves

+ different colors

+tough hard wood

+ usually pinkish or red
+ thorns
+ symbol for love

20. Chalk +: thing
+ limestone
+ soft
+ white or colored
+ for writing or drawing

22. Chick : + animate
+ bird
+ fowl
- fully grown
± male


EXERCISE 2

+ plant

23.Pap:

+ thing

25. Pine:

+ evergreen tree

+ food

+ needle-shaped leaves

+ soft or semi-liquid

+ pale soft wood

+ for babies or invalids

24. Tiptoe:

+ motion
+ walk
+ on toes
+ silently

26. Owe:

+ state

+ be in debt
+ duty
+ pay


EXERCISE 2
27.Computer : + thing

29. Maid:

+ electronic device

+ mature

+storing/processing data

+ female

+making calculation

+ servant

+ controlling machinery

28. Honesty: + abstract notion
+ virtue
+ trustfulness
+ hard to evaluate

+ human

30. Spinster:

+ human
+ mature
+ female
+ stay single


EXERCISE 3
1.Sadara :+ born with the same parents 3a. Anh: + born with the same
parents
Chị
± male

3b.
Em:

+ older
+ born with the same
parents
± male

2. Brother:
Sister :

+ younger
+ born with the same
parents
± male

4. Huynh + born with the same
Đệ
parents
Tỷ
± male
Muội
± older