Semantics

Study of Linguistic Meaning

KAREN G. DELA RAMA

Discussant
Semantics and
Pragmatics
semantics
-studies the meaning of words and their
meaning within sentences

-it is the study of linguistic meaning, or

more precisely, the study of the relation
between linguistic expressions and their
meaning.
Semantics focuses on three basic aspects:

• the relations of words to the objects denoted by

them

• the relations of words to the interpreters of them,

• and, in symbolic logic, the formal relations of signs

to one another (syntax)”.
Semantics has two main categories:

• lexical semantics
• phrasal semantics
LEXICAL SEMANTICS
- concerns the meanings of words and the meaning of
relationships among words

ExampleS:
“A Dalmatian is a
type of dog, and a
dog is a type of
mammal”
PHRASAL SEMANTICS
- concerns the meaning of syntactic units, which
are larger than words.

Example:
Mina tore the wrapping paper.
A nail tore her skirt.
The fabric tore.
There are two types of Semantics:

Connotative Semantic
When a word suggests a set of associations, or is an
imaginative or emotional suggestion connected with the
words, while readers can relate to such associations. Simply,
it represents figurative meaning. Usually poets use this type
of meaning in their poetry.
Denotative Semantic
It suggests the literal, explicit, or dictionary meanings of
the words, without using associated meanings. It also uses
symbols in writing that suggest expressions of writers, such
as an exclamation mark, quotation mark, apostrophe, colon,
or quotation mark.
PRAGMAT
ICSwith emphasis on their context as well
-studies the same words and meanings but
.

-it looks beyond the literal meaning of an 

utterance or a sentence, considering how
the context impacts its meaning to be
constructed as well the implied meanings
PRAGMAT
ICSPragmatic means practical or logical. If
someone calls you pragmatic, they mean that
you tend to think in terms of the practical or
logical rather than the ideal situation.
EXAMPLES:
1. Will you crack open the door? I am getting
hot.
2. I heart you!
3. If you eat all of that food, it will make
you bigger!
Semantics and Information
structure
Information structure has a strong effect
on how people refer to entities in the
world, including both introducing new
entities into a discourse and referring back
to already-mentioned entities. This can
affect multiple dimensions, including
definiteness, pronoun use, and
modification.
For example:

If the speaker has just been talking to someone about a

particular dog, the speaker can refer to it with the definite
expression the dog or perhaps even the pronoun it.
However, if the dog is mentioned in the conversation for the
first time, the speaker may use the indefinite expression a
dog.
However, the effects of information structure on reference are
modulated by real-world knowledge and inferences. For example,
definites are not restricted to cases where the referent is given.

I went to a wedding and the bride wore white, but

unfortunately a guest spilled wine on her.
 Information structure also guides the speaker’s selection of
nouns, pronouns and other referring expressions. After
mentioning a great new book, the speaker will probably use the
pronoun ‘it’ to refer to the book in the immediately subsequent
utterances. Use of pronouns provides an efficient, shorthand
way of referring to already-mentioned, prominent referents and
allows speakers to avoid excessive repetition. In fact, using a
name when a pronoun would be sufficient has been shown to
result in processing difficulties, at least under certain
circumstances.
 PRAGMATICS AND
DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Pragmatics focuses on the effects of context on meaning,
and Discourse Analysis studies written and spoken
language in relation to its social context.
 In its simplest form, discourse is verbal
or written communication between
people that goes beyond a single
sentence.
“Context” here refers to
the social, cultural, political,
and historical background of
the discourse, and it is important
to take this into account to
understand underlying meanings
expressed through language.
When you do discourse analysis, you might focus on:

 The purposes and effects of different types of

language
 Cultural rules and conventions in communication
 How values, beliefs and assumptions are
communicated
 How language use relates to its social, political and
historical context
How is discourse analysis different from other methods?
Unlike linguistic approaches that focus only on the rules of language
use, discourse analysis emphasizes the contextual meaning of language.
It focuses on the social aspects of communication and the ways people use
language to achieve specific effects (e.g. to build trust, to create doubt, to
evoke emotions, or to manage conflict).

Instead of focusing on smaller units of language, such as sounds, words

or phrases, discourse analysis is used to study larger chunks of language,
such as entire conversations, texts, or collections of texts.
Critical Discourse Analysis
LEVEL OF WHAT IS ANALYZED?
COMMUNICATION
Vocabulary Words and phrases can be analyzed for ideological associations, formality,
and euphemistic and metaphorical content.
Grammar The way that sentences are constructed (e.g., verb tenses, active or passive
construction, and the use of imperatives and questions) can reveal aspects
of intended meaning.
Structure The structure of a text can be analyzed for how it creates emphasis or builds
a narrative.
Genre Texts can be analyzed in relation to the conventions and communicative aims
of their genre (e.g., political speeches or tabloid newspaper articles).
Non-verbal communication Non-verbal aspects of speech, such as tone of voice, pauses, gestures, and
sounds like “um”, can reveal aspects of a speaker’s intentions, attitudes, and
emotions.
Conversational codes The interaction between people in a conversation, such as turn-taking,
interruptions and listener response, can reveal aspects of cultural
conventions and social roles.
“All our work, our whole
life is a matter of semantics,
because words are the tools
with which we work, the
material out of which laws
are made, out of which the
Constitution was written.
Everything depends on our
“It is not what you meant to
say, but it is what your saying
meant.”
― Walter M. Miller Jr
Thank you!
 References
https://www.softschools.com/examples/grammar/pragmatics_examples/645/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4491328/
https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/what-is-discourse-analysis/ch3-four-examples-of-
discourse-analysis
https://www.google.com/search?q=example+of+lexical+semantics&source=lmns&bih=649&biw=
1366&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiq3c2G6qr6AhXJz4sBHWYhAAwQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA&safe=ac
tive&ssui=on#imgrc=7Kkt-EQfnz4bcM
https://pediaa.com/difference-between-semantics-and-pragmatics/#:~:text=For%20example%2C
%20this%20sentence%20%E2%80%93%20%E2%80%9C,the%20speaker%20towards%20the%20p
erson
.