group 10 presents

theories
of
semantics
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semantics
1 the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with
meaning
2 formal semantics is logical

3 lexical semantics is meaning and word relation

theories of meaning
dictionary meanings
mental image
referents
componential
truth conditional
generative
contextual
dictionary meaning

denotation word can be found in dictionaries

connotation may depend on factors such as culture,

background, social class

problems... understanding meaning involves understand

all the words in definition
not theoritcal claims but a practical aid to
those who speak the language
 advantages
and disadvantages
+ provide insight on how we
mental image conceive ideas and objects
+ may help children learn the
graphic representation meaning of new words

in ones mind - culturally and socially

dependent
- many words have no clear
mental image
e.g "forget", "justice", "without"
 referential theory
referential derives its meaning
from something in the
reality.

problems

excludes fiction and

denotes imagination
e.g ghost, dragon

componential semantic
theory decomposition
man boy
meaning of a word is
[+ human] [+ human]
specified by smaller
[- female] [- female]
semantic components [+ adult] [- adult]

expressed as binary bread flower

feautures (+ or -) [ + flour] [ + petals]
[ + water] [ + colorful]
[ + baking] [ - big]
truth conditional theory
states that the meaning of a proposition
is given by its truth conditions.
almost all introductions to logic use truth-
theoretic semantics
attempt to define the meaning of a given
proposition by explaining when the
sentence is true.
 for example...

statement. 1 "Snow is white"

it is true if and only if snow is white.
statement.2 "It is snowing in Nebraska"
is true precisely when it is snowing in Nebraska.
statement.3 "It is snowing in Philippines during summer"
which is obviously wrong or a lie, isn't it? Because we live in
tropical zone.
generative
generative
grammar
generative is how people naturally learn
Generative grammar is the their native language
way that sentences are put
together and words are vs
arranged which differ from
language to language.
prescriptive
precriptive is taught in formal
settings
examples of generative grammar

Noam Chomsky created the phrase "Colorless green

ideas sleep furiously" as an example of generative
grammar. While the words are understood, the actual
content of the sentence is nonsensical. However, an
English speaker can still understand the thing being
described.
Contextual Theory of Meaning
pertinent to all things which postulated b
y Edward
can be both felt and seen Bradford, a t
heory that th
definition of e
meaning of a word or concept
a word or ide
relies on cog a
depends on mental images nitive image
correlated w r y
associated with a specific ith a certain
of senses, su b ody
body of sensations, as in the ch as the no
flames. tion of
concept of fire.
 Thank you!
Have a great day ahead.