Eng-3109

What Is Semantics?
The subject of semantics is the systematic study of the meaning of linguistic expressions. Every
linguistic expression, be it morphemes, words, phrases, sentences, even text, has its own meaning.
Linguistic meanings are also put together into larger units following semantic rules. The term which
linguists use for this process is “semantic composition”, and we will discuss various tenets of this
process in the chapter.
Denotation
The denotation of a word or a phrase is its literal, dictionary meaning. Another way ( to think of it is as
the associated concept that the word triggers in the mind of most speakers of a language. For
example when a chair is mentioned, most people imagine a standard- issue piece of furniture to sit
on, concentrating mostly on its function.
Connotation
Emotional and cultural meaning associated with a word is known as connotation. For example a dove
is a type of bird but it’s associated with peace and gentleness.
Sense and Reference
The meaning of an expression is called sense, and if the expression refers to something or someone,
it has reference. Talking of sense we are dealing with meaning relationships inside language, talking
of reference, we are dealing with relationships between language and the world. The reference of an
expression may vary according to the circumstances (time, place, etc). For example the expression
“The President of the United States” has a sense, that is, meaning: it also refers to a real person out
there in the world that you can meet or see. The actual person who holds the office at a given time is
a reference (e.g., Joe Biden in 2024).
Synonym
These are words or expressions that have the same of partially the same sense. Although their
meanings may overlap, they are rarely exactly the same. For example: stubborn and obstinate,
freedom and liberty
Antonym
Antonyms are words or phrases expressing opposite senses. For example: true and false, hot and
cold
Hyponymy
Hyponymy is the relationship where the meaning of one word is a subset, or included in the meaning
of the other. For example: banana, apple, grape, orange are hyponyms of “fruit” category.
Polysemy
If a word has more than one sense, or meaning and the senses are closely related, it is known as
polysemy. For example, mouth of a river and mouth of a human being may be included in the
dictionary as two different senses, but a proficient speaker of English can see the relation between
them.
Homonym
When the two or more meanings of a word are considered sufficiently different, such as bank of a
river and bank as in the financial institution, they are considered homonyms, or two different names.
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