SEM101 - Word Semantics

Summary

This video introduces semantics, the study of meaning in language, focusing on word semantics. It explores two key branches: reference and sense. Reference or referential semantics examines how words relate to real-world objects, while sense or lexical semantics focuses on the relationships between words themselves. The video covers concepts such as synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, and the semiotic triangle, which illustrates the link between words, concepts, and objects. The discussion also touches on different theories of word meaning and provides an overview of how language constructs meaning through these connections.

Takeaways

• 😀 Semantics, originating from Greek, was initially used in the 19th century to describe the development of meaning, specifically historical semantics.
• 😀 Today, semantics is one of the main areas in linguistics and is often associated with word semantics, which aims to define the nature of word meaning in natural language.
• 😀 Word semantics has two branches: reference (referential semantics) and sense (lexical semantics), which explain how words relate to objects and concepts.
• 😀 The relationship between words (lexemes) and real-world objects can be complex, as abstract objects and extinct objects like love or dinosaurs challenge simple naming.
• 😀 The semiotic triangle, introduced by Ogden and Richards in 1923, represents the relationship between words, concepts, and objects, emphasizing that word meaning involves a mediator: concepts.
• 😀 Onomatopeia, where words imitate sounds (e.g., 'moo' for a cow), works well for some objects but fails to capture relationships for many others, showing the limitations of direct word-object connections.
• 😀 Iconicity refers to linguistic signs whose form resembles the characteristics of the objects they represent, like words with big vocal tracts indicating large objects, but this doesn’t apply universally.
• 😀 In most cases, the relationship between words and objects is mediated by concepts in the speaker's mind, leading to various theories about how these concepts are structured.
• 😀 Several theories of meaning exist, such as componential analysis, semantic networks, the Prototype Theory, and logic-based theories, each aiming to explain how meaning is conceptualized.
• 😀 The second major branch of word semantics, sense, deals with the relationships between linguistic elements (words) themselves, focusing on intralinguistic relationships like synonymy, antonymy, and hyponymy.
• 😀 Synonymy refers to words with similar meanings, antonymy to opposites (e.g., 'woman' vs 'man'), and hyponymy to hierarchical relationships where one term (e.g., 'woman') is included within a broader term (e.g., 'human').

Q & A

What does the term 'semantics' originally refer to, and how has its meaning evolved in linguistics?

The term 'semantics' originally comes from Greek and was first introduced in the 19th century to refer to the development of meaning in language, specifically in historical semantics. Over time, it has come to represent the study of meaning in natural language, particularly word meaning.

What are the two main branches of word semantics discussed in the transcript?

The two main branches of word semantics are 'reference' (or referential semantics) and 'sense' (or lexical semantics). Reference deals with the relationship between words and real-world objects, while sense focuses on the internal relationships between words themselves.

How is reference semantics defined, and what is its primary task?

Reference semantics explains the relationship between linguistic signs (words) and real-world objects. Its primary task is to define how words like 'fly' or 'cooking' relate to specific objects or actions in the world.

What problems arise when defining word-object relationships through the naming view in semantics?

The naming view, which defines word-object relationships simply through naming, faces problems with abstract objects (e.g., 'love'), extinct objects (e.g., dinosaurs), and opaque contexts (e.g., 'John knows that Bill wants to kiss Mary'). These challenges require a more sophisticated view.

What role does the 'concept' play in semantics as opposed to simple naming?

The 'concept' serves as a mediator between words and objects. Instead of directly relating words to objects, semantics involves associating words with mental images or concepts, which then refer to objects in the real world.

What is the semiotic triangle, and how does it help define the relationship between words and objects?

The semiotic triangle, introduced by Charles K. Ogden and Ivor Armstrong Richards, shows how words (signs) relate to concepts (mediators) and objects (referents). It suggests that meaning arises through the interaction of these three elements: sign, concept, and referent.

What is onomatopoeia, and how does it relate to the relationship between linguistic signs and objects?

Onomatopoeia refers to words that phonetically resemble the sounds associated with objects, such as 'moo' for a cow. However, it is not a stable or universal relationship because animal sounds can differ across languages, limiting its applicability.

What is iconicity in linguistics, and how does it relate to the size of objects?

Iconicity refers to the resemblance between the form of linguistic symbols and the characteristics of the objects they represent. For example, large objects like a whale might be associated with larger vocal tract sounds, while small objects like a mouse are associated with smaller vocal tract sounds.

How do linguistic signs and concepts interact to form meaning?

Linguistic signs (words) are linked to concepts in the mind, and these concepts refer to real-world objects. This relationship between sign, concept, and object creates meaning, with various theories attempting to explain how concepts are formed and connected.

What are the main theories that attempt to explain the relationship between concepts in semantics?

Several theories aim to explain the relationship between concepts, including the field theory, componential analysis, semantic networks, prototype theory, and logic-based approaches like the theory of meaning postulate.

What are the three main semantic relationships in sense (lexical) semantics?

The three main semantic relationships in lexical semantics are synonymy (relatedness of meaning between words), antonymy (oppositeness of meaning), and hyponymy (the inclusion of one term under another, where a superordinate term includes subordinate terms).

What is hyponymy, and how is it illustrated in the example with the word 'woman'?

Hyponymy is a semantic relationship where one term (hyponym) is included under another (hypernym). For example, 'woman' is a hyponym of 'human,' with 'human' being the superordinate term.