Introduction to Linguistics: Semantics

Kenny JulitaSilvia Eka Putri

SEMANTICS

What is Semantics? 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 by speakers and listeners of language.It focuses on the relation between signifiers, like words, phrases, signs, and symbols study of meaning that is used for understanding human expression through language.

Areas of Semantics

Logical Semantics

Lexical Semantics

Computational Semantics

Logical semanticsaims to associate each natural language sentence with a meta-language description of the conditions under which it is true. semantics seeks to connect language with statements about the real world, rather than with abstract models.Concerned with :

2. Reference

4. Implication

3. Presupposition

1. Sense

Lexical Semantics

Lexical semantics can be defined as 'the study of meaning', therefore semanticists are interested in the lexical meaning of words rather than grammatical meaning. It is about studying language in isolation and not language in use.Some types of lexical semantics :1. Synonymy2. Antonyms3. Polysemy4. Hyponymy

Computational Semantics

Computational semantics is the study of how to automate the process of constructing and reasoning with meaning representations of natural language expressions. It consequently plays an important role in natural language processing and computational linguistics.

EXPERT OF SEMANTICS

the field of Semantics as it is such a vast topic in the area of Linguistics. This section will inform you of some of the key researchers in the field and what they studied in their

work.

Donald Davidson (1917-2003)

Was an American philosopher born in Springfield, Massachusetts.Served as Professor of Philosophy at The University ofCalifornia from 1981-2003. Developed an inspired approach to truth-conditional semanticsFamously said "there is no such thing as a language, not if a language is anything like what many philosophers and linguists have supposed. There is therefore no such thing tobe learned, mastered.

Why is semantics studied?

To futher our understanding of how the relationship between the words and structure of a sentence can affect meaning. ·To try and find a more comprehinsive definition of "meaning" which truly cover the concept.

Studying semantics will allow us to explain what it is exactly about the headline which is confusing and why readers could be lead to believe. Semantics offer a definition for "meaning" however it is a difficult concept to explain

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