A.

SCOPE OF SEMANTICS

Semantics is the study of the sense within language. 1 Meaning is part of language is a
fact, but until recently, this definition has been clearly defined and treated fairly in language
research. In traditional linguistics, language is thought to be the vocabulary found in literary
works. In the study of language, definitions of language are at times based on meaning, and at
times on function. Declarations that a name is a person's name or something, or a phrase is an
expression of complete thought, are definitions that are based on meaning. On the contrary,
adjectives are words that modify nouns, or adverbs are words that modify words other than
nouns, which are based on the definition of function. The remarkable accomplishment in the
study of meaning in traditional linguistics is the etymology the study of the origin of the meaning
of the word. The study of meaning in traditional linguistics did not make it clear what meaning
is.

It is necessary to exclude the study of linguistic significance. However, every attempt at

studying language cannot escape the study of meaning. In structural linguistics, the reference to
meaning is found in the discussion of the structure of fragmented words. A morpheme is the
smallest significant unit within the structure of the language. For example, the word exam is
composed of three morphemes; a free morpheme (examine) and two related morphemes (ation)
and (-s), which is a plural morpheme. Once again, there is no attempt to study the meaning of
language with regard to structural linguistics.

Lexicon, meaning words, is chosen to give a semantic interpretation to the basic

component of the language which consists of sentence-structure rules. Within the transformative
generative grammar. Semantics is referred to as interpretative semantics. It is generally accepted
that Chomsky's statement that syntax is at the deepest level of language is controversial. At the
same time, opponents claim that semantics must be at the deepest level of language.

The semantics Geoffrey Leech (1981) assert that linguistic competence consists of
phonological representation, syntax representation and semantic representation for the analysis
of any sentence. For the decoding of processes by an auditor, the auditor switches from
phonology to semantics; and for the coding of processes, the speaker switches from semantics to
1
Prof. Dr. D. Wagiman Adisutrisno, M.A. SEMANTICS An Introduction to the Basuc Consepts,
(Yogyakarta: Penerbit ANDI Yogyakarta, 2008), p. 1.
phonology. The human language is therefore composed of three components, such as:
phonology, which relates to sounds, syntax, which relates to grammatical structures, and
semantics, which relates to meaning.

Since there are only three levels of language, the pragmatic must be part of the semantic,
that is to say the study of the meaning of language in the context, the use of language or the
interaction of language. It is not entirely appropriate to consider language as having the
following levels: phonology, syntax, semantic and pragmatic. Semantics must understand the
meaning of words and sentences that have nothing to do with the outside world and must refer to
the meaning of words or sentences in relation to the outside world.

As there are only three levels of language, pragmatics must be part of semantics, which is
the study of language meaning in context, language use, or language interaction. It is not quite
proper to view language as having for levels; phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
Semantics must include sense the meaning of words and sentences without relation to the world
outside and reference the meaning of words or sentence in relation to the world outside.
Therefore, the study of meaning in language must include the meaning of words, phrases and
statements, that is, phrases that are used in context. While Leech clearly spelled out language
proficiency levels, he did not demonstrate the relationship between the three language levels.

In 1970, Wallace L. Chafe put forward a semantic-based linguistic theory in his work,
which can be called generative semantic grammar. Chafe demonstrated the relationship between
phonology, syntax and semantics expressed in his linguistic view.

The concepts, the meaning, find their way into the human brain. Concepts become the
source of ideas to communicate, which we find in words, scents and expressions. The study of
semantics has to include the notion of words, phrases and statements. These subjects will be
dealt with in the following chapters, but another chapter is necessary, namely the approaches to
the study of semantics.