THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN SEMANTICS
AND ALL OTHER LEVELS
OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
9 февраля 2023год
 These levels of linguistic analysis can be very useful in
other disciplines. Communication is an absolutely
necessary basis for a functioning society. If we could not
communicate and understand each other, our daily lives
would be completely isolated and extremely difficult.
Studying how such a fundamental aspect of our life
operates is a key to understanding much of the world
around you.
 Semantics and phonetics

● Phonetics studies individual speech sounds (phonemes) and how we

produce them. This is the most basic level of analysis because we use
these specific sounds to make up words. Certain languages use
certain sounds to convey meaning that others don’t, so establishing a
standard symbol system (i.e., the International Phonetic Alphabet)
allows phoneticians to analyze basic levels of speech in various
languages without barriers of understanding. Phonetics also touches
on the physiology behind creating speech sounds.
Phonology
Phonology seeks to understand the way phonemes are
organized in a language or dialect. It examines what sort of
rules a language follows to determine how certain words
should be pronounced. We can understand clearly why a
native Spanish speaker would pronounce English words like
“street” or “stop” as “eh-street” or “eh-stop” when learning
the language if we understand phonology.
Morphology
Morphology deals with the formations of words when we put these
sound segments together. This field of study can help explain why
we can understand some words that we’ve never heard before. The
word “embiggens” from the show The Simpsons is a great example.
Though this word was made up by the show, the morphemes (em +
big + ens) are familiar to English speakers and operating in ways
similar to how many of our other words work. We can understand
these features separately, so when they are put together, it is
relatively easy to determine the meaning of this made-up word.
 ● Syntax works similarly to
morphology but refers to
sentence structure. This field
studies the rules speakers
follow in order to organize
their words into coherent
SYNTAX ? sentences. Through studying
syntax, we can understand
why the sentences “I have to
go to the bathroom” and
“the bathroom I have to go
to” have different meanings,
despite being made up of the
exact same words.
 PRAGMATIC
● Pragmatics is similar to semantics but with words, phrases, and
utterances being studied in context rather than independently. For
example, without context, the phrase “I’m going to drop off the
keys” seems to have a very clear meaning. However, consider a
context in which this was uttered in a phone conversation between
two individuals exchanging money for an illegal service. If they are
both aware the transaction is taking place, but want to avoid
suspicious language, “keys” may refer to either the money or the
illegal good being exchanged. Pragmatics analyzes how words and
phrases operate within their context and what the goals of each
utterance are.
 SEMANTICS

● Semantics is where these concepts begin to get more external. This level of
analysis focuses on studying the meanings of words. It is the interface
between our words and the world. Understanding what certain words or
phrases point to in our lives is to understand the meaning behind these
words. Semantics addresses the various things to which a single word can
point and how this can create ambiguity in meaning—and thus,
misunderstandings.