Meaning relations and properties
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Transcript of Meaning relations and properties
The Scope of a Semantic Theory
Words and Phrases
Meaning PropertiesMeaning Relation
Lina Magally Vázquez
Adriana María Rodríguez
Learning a language includes learning
the " agreed-upon" meanings of certain strings
of words and learning how to combine these
meaningful units into larger units that also
convey meaning.
The Scope of Semantic Theory
Meaning Properties
Meaningful and
MeaninglessAmbiguity Anomaly
Meaning Relations
Synonymy
Homonymy
Homophony
Polysemy
Inclusion
Antonymy
Meaning propertiesMeaning properties are those aspects of a linguistic unit
(morpheme, word, or sentence) that contribute to the meaning of that unit.
Meaning properties mean the pieces of information of the word which speakers of the language are in agree.
Meaning properties are used to define and describe the semantic components of a word or set of words. Ex: What common component has that set of words?
Tigress Hen Mare Actress Girl Woman
Female is a semantic property
1: Meaningful and Meaningless
A large set of words that we know are meaningful or meaningless in the language.
Any adequate explanation of the lexicon of a language must specify the meaningful words of the language and must represent the meaning of those words.
If a word is part of a language's lexicon with a generally understood meaning, that word is
meaningful.
Words Meaningful
Procrastinate
Mother
Bachelor
(put things off) X
(female parent) X
(unmarried adult male)
X
2: Ambiguity
I hope you are not lying __ to me. My books are lying __ on the table.
1. The kids are going to watch ___ TV tonight. What time is it? I have to set my watch____.
2. Which page _____ is the homework on? Please page _____the doctor if you need help.
3. Let’s play ___ soccer after school. The author wrote a new play ___.
4. Ouch! The mosquito bit ___ me! I’ll have a little bit ___ of sugar in my tea.
5. My rabbits are in a pen ___ outside. Please sign this form with a black pen ___.
Activity: Choose (a) or (b) (a) telling a lie (b) being in a horizontal
(a) small clock (b) look at
(a) one sheet of (b) to call
(a) participate in a sport (b) theater piece
(a) a tiny amount (b) past tense of bite
(a) a writing instrument(b) an enclosed area
ab
b
a
ab
ab
ab
ba
3: Anomaly
An expression is anomalous when the meanings of
its individual words are
incompatible.
-Anomaly expressions have no conventional interpretation. Referring to ‘meaninglessness’. - Anomaly is a violation of normal semantic rules to create ‘nonsense’ of something irregular, contradictory or inconsistent.
Examples:a. The table likes basketballb. Gradually plummet c. Colorless green idead. Dream diagonallye. Sleep furiously
A strange phrase, because it is semantically anomalous. (illogical)It doesn´t make a sense. “Dream diagonally” (our interpretation)It is important to notice that a semantically anomalous expression can be syntactically well formed, and this may be a major factor that makes it feasible for speakers to invent meaning for such anomalous expressions.
«Meaning
Relations»
Synonymy
Synonymy: words that have the same meanings or that are closely related in meaningSynonymy is a meaning relation which involves two or more expression having the same interpretation.
Synonymy will always mean one of two or more words in the English language which have the same or very nearly the same essential meaning.
Synonym: words which have the same meaning.
Kinds of synonimyKinds of synonimy
Partial synonymy is a meaning relation
in which the meaning or
interpretation of one lexicon only a
part of the meaning of the
other.
Partial synonymy is a meaning relation
in which the meaning or
interpretation of one lexicon only a
part of the meaning of the
other.
True synonymy is a meaning relation
which involves two or more sentences having the same exact meaning.
E.g.: "Uncle is a true synonymy of the brother of one’s father or mother, or the husband of one’s
aunt."
Close synonymy is a meaning relation
which involves two or more expressions of
which the interpretation is not
entirely the same but very close.
E.g. war, battle, combat, fight, struggle.
E.g. hen is partial meaning of chicken.
HomophonyHomophony: Different words pronounced the same but spelled differently and different meaning.
E.g.: Two, to and too
Meat and meetRight and write Flour (like mass) Eyes (part of the body)
Flower (plant) Ice ( frost)
Polysemy
e.g. bright: ‘shining’ ; ‘intelligent’‘Head’ of the body and the person at the top of a company.‘Foot’ of a body and of a mountain and of the bed or chair.‘Run’ a person runs, the water runs
Polysemy is a word or phrase with multiple, related meanings.e.g. The house is at the foot of the mountainsOne of his shoes felt too tight for his foot'Foot' here refers to the bottom part of the mountains in the first sentence and the bottom part of the leg in the second.
Meaning inclusion: words included in a group specifically
The meaning of sister includes the meaning of famaleThe meaning of murder includes the meaning of illegal The meaning of kill includes the meaning of dead
We derive expressions thet are redundant, when we put words together That are related by Meaning inclusion.
E.g.: female sister fruit apple
INCLUSION
If two expressions are not synonymous and the meaning of one Does not include the meaning of the other.
a.Father, uncle, bull all express
b.Say, speak, whisper,yell,scream
c.Fourtunately,luckily,happily,fortuitously
Property «male»
Property «male»
Property «vocalization»
Property «Good for»
Classical examples of semantics fields include :
Color terms Red,green,blue,yellow
Kinship terms Mother,father,sister,brother
Animal terms fox,bear,snake,fish
AntonymyAntonymy: words that are opposites in meaning, e.g. hot & cold. TypesGradable= not absolute, question of degree
Hot & cold – small & bigNon-gradable:
Dead & alive – asleep & awakeE.g. happy/sad married/single
present/absent fast/slow
Kinds of Antonym y
Kinds of Antonym y
Homonymy
Homonymy: Homonyms are different words that are pronounced the same, but may or may not be spelled the same and has unrelated meaning. Homonyms can create ambiguity.
e.g. bank: ‘financial institution’ ; ‘of a river’.Bat: ‘flying creature’ or ‘used in sports’Race: ‘contest of speed’ or ‘ethnic group’
Activity: Synonymy or Antonymy
Flourish – thrive Intelligent – stupid Casual – informal deep-profound Drunk – sober Sofa – couch Hide – conceal cheap – expensive Rich - wealthy
a. synonym
b. antonym
c. synonym
d. synonym
e. antonym
f. Synonym
g. Synonym
h. Antonym
i. synonym