“ SEMANTICS ”

Arranged By :

1. Nispa Wahni Siregar

2. Yurita Ariyani Rumapea
3. Ade Rosalina
4. Rhuzilia Utari Ritonga

Supporting Lecturer :
Gabby Maureen Pricilia,S.Pd.,M,Hum.

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN TAPANULI SELATAN

FAKULTAS PENDIDIKAN ILMU PENGETAHUAN SOSIAL DAN BAHASA
PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS T.A 2022/2023
 FOREWORD

Praise and gratitude to God Almighty for His blessings, and we were given the
opportunity to compile a paper entitled "Semantics" properly and correctly and on
time.
This paper is structured so that readers can find out how important semantics is in
learning English in everyday life.
This paper was prepared by various parties. Both from outside and from the
parties concerned themselves and because of the help of God Almighty, this paper
has finally been completed.
The authors also thank the lecturers for semantic and pragmatic courses who have
assisted in the preparation of this paper. Hopefully this paper can provide a
broader insight to the readers. although this paper has advantages and
disadvantages. For suggestions and please constituency. Thank you
 PRELIMINARY

Language is a communication tool that cannot be separated from the meaning or

meaning of every word that is arbitrary (arbitrary, changing, not fixed, whichever
you like).This means that there is no mandatory relationship between the language
symbol (which is in the form of sound) and the concept or understanding intended
by the symbol (Chaer, 2007:45).

As a dynamic element, language is always analyzed and studied with various

approaches, including the meaning approach, while semantics is a component of
language that cannot be separated from linguistic conversation.Without discussing
meaning, the discussion of linguistics is not considered complete because in fact
the act of speaking is nothing but an attempt to convey those
meanings.Meaningless utterances have no meaning at all (Parera, 2004:17).
 DISCUSSION
A. Definition of Semantics
Semantics comes from the Greek ‘sema’ (noun) which means ‘sign’ or
‘symbol’.The verb is ‘semaino’ which means ‘marking’ or ‘symbolizing’. What is
meant by signs or symbols here are linguistic signs (French: signélinguistique).The
following are some of the meanings of semantics according to experts, consisting
of:
a. According to Ferdinand de Saussure (1966)
Put forward semantics, which consists of (1) a component that interprets,
which is in the form of sound forms of language and (2) a component that is
interpreted or the meaning of the first component.These two components are signs
or symbols, while what is marked or what is symbolized is something different
outside the language commonly called the referent or the thing designated.
b. According to Tarigan (1985: 2)
Saying that semantics can be used in a broad sense and in a narrow
sense.Semantics in a narrow sense can be interpreted as a study of the relationship
of signs with objects which are the container for the application of these signs.
c. According to Verharr (2001: 384)
It can be divided into two, namely grammatical semantics and lexical
semantics.The term semantics is used by linguists to refer to a branch of language
science that moves at the level of meaning or language science that studies
meaning.
d. According to Chaer (2009: 6-11)
Semantics based on the level or part of the language that is the object of
investigation can be divided into four, namely (1) lexical semantics which is a type
of semantic whose research object is the lexicon of a language, (2) grammatical
semantics which is a type of semantic whose research object is the meaning-
grammatical meaning from the morphological level, (3) syntactic semantics which
is a type of semantic whose research targets rely on matters related to syntax, (4)
semantics of intent which is a type of semantics relating to the use of stylistic forms
of language, such as metaphors,irony, litotes, and so on.E. According to Charles
Morrist
Suggests that semantics examines “the relations of signs with objects which
are the container for the application of these signs”.Semantics is a branch of
linguistics that studies the meaning of words and sentences.A person’s linguistic
ability is seen based on the language skills they have.Today, understanding a
person’s language skills is distinguished based on his knowledge of the language,
such as how to express words, how to make sentences and also about the meaning
of a word and the sentence itself.
Thus, linguistics or linguistics has several levels of analysis to represent some
of the abilities mentioned above.For example, phonology is the science that studies
sounds in language, syntax is the science that studies how words are formed into a
sentence, and semantics is the science that studies the meaning of words and
sentences in language.An understanding of semantic knowledge is very important
for the study of language acquisition (how language users gain an understanding of
the meaning of a word or sentence, as speakers and writers, listeners and readers).
When someone learns a language from several media be it books, radio or
TV, there are several problems that may be faced.Like learning a language from a
book, it will be easier to understand the meaning than how to pronounce it, when
learning through radio it will be easier to understand how to pronounce it than
understanding what is meant, when learning from TV it will be easy to understand
the meaning and how to pronounce it but not necessarily understand the form of the
word.Or learned sentences.
e. Semantics and Semiotics
Language will never be separated from the elements of signs and symbols,
because signs and symbols are a unit that can represent linguistic knowledge, both
verbal and non-verbal.Semiotics is a branch of science that deals with the study of
signs and everything related to signs, such as sign systems and processes that apply
to the use of signs.
 Those vultures mean there’s a dead animal up ahead
 His high temperature may mean he has a virus
 The red flag means it’s dangerous to swim
  Those strips on his uniform mean that he is a sergent.
Some of the examples of sentences above show the existence of semiotic
functions in language. The word mean in the sentence above has several uses in the
form of cause and effect, and is also an agreed public sign.In semiotics there is the
term sign and the marked is used to show the sign and the object it represents.
C.S.Pierce divides it into three parts, namely icons, indexes and symbols.Icon
of the similarity between the sign and the marked.Examples are images and real
life.The index indicates a close relationship between the sign and the signified, such
as smoke and fire, while the symbol indicates a conventional relationship between
the sign and the signified, such as the use of black clothes when mourning.
Sematic Semiotics describes the meaning of a sign in accordance with the
‘meaning’ conveyed.Semantic semiotics is a review of the sign system that can be
in accordance with the meaning conveyed.In language, semantic semiotics is the
embodiment of the meaning to be conveyed by the speaker and conveyed through
the expression of its form.The form will be interpreted again as a result of
perception by the listener.The embodiment of the meaning of a language can be
said to be successful if the meaning or ‘meaning’ that the speaker wants to convey
through the sentence can be understood and accepted appropriately by the listener,
if the expression that the speaker wants to convey is the same as the listener’s
perception
Example:
An ambulance cruising down the highway blaring its siren with a red light
swirling, signaling that an injured person has been rushed to the hospital.The
interpretation of this sign is different if the siren comes from a police car driving in
front of the entourage of dignitaries, because the siren indicates that a dignitary is
passing.Likewise, sirens accompanied by red lights swirling in different
interpretations if it comes from a fire engine
f. Basic semantic terms
Semantics (from Greek: semantikos, giving sign, important, from the word
sema, sign) is a branch of linguistics that studies the meaning contained in a
language, code, or other type of representation.In other words, semantics is the
study of meaning.According to the theory developed from the view of Ferdinand de
Saussure, meaning is the ‘understanding’ or ‘concept’ that is owned or contained in
a linguistic sign.According to de Saussure, every linguistic sign consists of two
elements, namely (1) which is interpreted (French: signifie, English: signified) and
(2) which means (French: signifiant, English: signifier).What is interpreted
(signifie, signified) is actually nothing but the concept or meaning of a sound-
sign.Meanwhile, what is interpreted (signifiant or signifier) are the sounds formed
from the phonemes of the language in question.In other words, every linguistic sign
consists of elements of sound and elements of meaning.Both of these elements are
in-language (intralingual) elements which usually refer to or refer to something
referent which is an extralingual (extralingual) element.
In the field of semantics, the term commonly used for sign-linguistics is
lexeme, which is commonly defined as a word or phrase which is a meaningful unit
(Harimurti, 1982:98).While the term word, which is commonly defined as a
language unit that can stand alone which can occur from a single morpheme or a
combination of morphemes (Harimurti, 1982: 76) is a term in the field of grammar.
What needs to be understood is that not all words or lexemes have concrete
references in the real world.For example, lexemes such as religion, love, culture,
and justice cannot be shown as concrete references.In its use in speech, the real
meaning of the word or lexeme is often, and maybe also usually, regardless of the
basic meaning or concept and also from its reference.
g. Understanding of meaning, sign and symbol
1) Sign
The concept of the sign itself is the basis of all communication.A sign will
mean something other than itself.In this regard, Levinson (1983), introduced three
basic linguistic concepts, namely syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.Syntax studies
the formal relationship between signs, semantics studies the relationship between
signs and sign objects, and pragmatics studies the relationship between signs and
sign interpreters.These three areas treat and study signs in different ways.
In this discussion, we will discuss semantics as the relationship between sign
and sign object.Not only are language and communication systems composed of
signs, but as far as the human mind is concerned, the world itself is also composed
entirely of signs.Without signs, humans will not be able to establish a relationship
with the existing reality.According to KBBI, a sign is an address or something that
describes something.A sign can be said to be a substitute for something
else.Therefore, these signs need to be explained.
Sign is the main term known in semantic studies.Berger (2010) argues that a
sign is anything that can be used for something else.A sign is a material object,
action, or event that can be observed through the senses.In this context, each
character consists of a signifier and a signified (using Saussure’s term).
Pierce who came from the disciplines of linguistics and logic popularized
three types of signs based on their objects, namely (1) icons, (2) indexes, and (3)
signs.Icons are signs that show the relationship between the signifier and the
signified according to their natural form.In other words, an icon is a relationship
between a sign and a similar object or reference, such as the sound of a cat
meowing.Index is a sign that shows a sign of a natural relationship between a sign
and a causal sign (causal relationship) or a sign that is directly related to reality, for
example the term shoes are used for walking.The symbol is a sign that shows the
natural relationship between the signifier and the signified, the relationship between
the two is arbitrary, the relationship is based on mutual agreement or agreement in
society.Signs are used to indicate something, the translator interprets it based on his
experience.This is based on the fact that a sign is a brand which may be personal,
social, or specific according to the context.
2) Meaning
In the field of linguistics, one of the sciences that studies meaning is
semantics.As a subject of study in semantic linguistics, meaning exists at all or all
levels of construction, meaning is at the level of phonology, morphology, and
syntax.The language used for daily interaction varies greatly, both in function and
form.The level of language use used in an interaction is of course attached to the
use of words or sentences that lead to meaning, which is the scope of semantic
research.In fact, the question of meaning is indeed very difficult, and is the most
ambiguous and controversial term in language theory.While meaning is a matter of
language, the relationship and its relationship with aspects of human life is very
close.
 The meaning of the word is the relationship between the utterance and the
meaning in a word.Simply put, the meaning of the word is the meaning contained in
a word, Kids.According to the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), meaning is the
understanding given to a linguistic four
Etymologically, semantics comes from the Greek, namely sema which means
sign.In this discussion, we will get to know firsthand about the concept of sign.This
discussion is a continuation of the previous discussion, namely the nature of
semantics.Before that, we will also discuss the meaning, references, symbols and
conceptualization of meaning in semantics.The following is an explanation of these
sections.
Regarding meaning, there are several experts who formulate the relationship
between signs, objects, and users in the form of a triangular relationship.Therefore,
the triangular meaning theory was developed to explain the occurrence of
meaning.One of the experts who developed the triangle theory of meaning is
Pierce.According to Pierce, a sign that refers to something outside itself, namely an
object, will affect the mind of the wearer because of the relationship between its
elements
If combined with Saussure’s concept of signifier and signified, then the
meaning is actually closer to the signifier.Because basically, meaning is the result of
a tag.It is the result of the tag that will make sense.Meaning is not tied to words, but
makes sense in people’s minds.Thus, there is no direct relationship between the
object and the symbols used to represent it.When we say, for example, my money
was just stolen,” the experience is real, but no one can feel the loss.The relationship
appears in the mind of the speaker.
Meaning is not an absolute static concept that can be found in message
packages.Meaning is the result of dynamic interaction between symbols,
explanatory words, and objects.Meaning is given by history and can change over
time.Meaning is related to human purpose.The relationship between the three
dimensions above and the object shows that the reference to the communication
symbol is based on the experience and education of the object indicated by the
symbol.
 In a linguistic context, the meaning of a word can not only be explained by its
reference, but also through other aspects of meaning, these aspects are considered as
characteristics of a word that is separate from other words in the language
concerned.The meaning of a word is determined by the presence of other
words.Actually, the meaning of this word can be changed by the appearance of this
word.Some of the meanings and meanings of words depend on the presence of
other words in the language, or on the speaker’s mastery of words with related
semantic functions.According to Chaer (1995), meaning can be distinguished on the
basis of several criteria and points of view.Based on the type of semantics, meaning
can be divided into lexical meaning and grammatical meaning.
3) Symbol
A coat of arms is a sign that is used to symbolize something else.Symbols in
semantics are concepts that represent a word.There are various symbols in
language, namely (1) symbols of objects, (2) symbols of color, (3) symbols of
sound, which represent the special meaning of the sound of a musical instrument or
certain combination of sounds, and (4) symbol of atmosphere, which means
describing something., event, or situation with something else.
4) Natural sign
Natural signs;they communicate to someone All sorts of sights, sounds and
smells can be natural signs;they communicate to someone who observes and can
interpret but their messages are unintentional, the by-products of various
events.Unlike natural signs, conventional signs have.Typical examples of natural
signs are steps on the ground, tree growth rings, chemical elements in air or water,
seasonal changes in the weather, the position of the sun, the size, shape, and colorof
objects and etcetera.A Natural Sign is an accidental that is used to cancel another
accidental (a sharp, flat, double sharp or double flat).A Natural is written before the
note (and after the letter name).Aug 17, 2020
5) Conventional sign
Conventional signs are those signs that are representative of different features
like mountains, roads, railways, cities, towns, capitals, rivers.They are depicted in
the forms of lines, different colors and shapes.They are simple signs and are not
drawn to scale.Conventional method or product is one that is usually used or that
has been in use for a long time.
Different between natural and conventions sign
Unlike natural signs, conventional signs have human senders as well as
human receivers;each one has an intention and an interpretation.The message may
be personal as when a friend rings your telephone or quite impersonal and general,
like the warning siren on a speeding ambulance.