Unit 3

Unit 3.
Study Guide and Exercises
2. Yes, different expressions can have the same referent. A referent is the thing or entity
in the world that a word or expression refers to. For example, the expressions "the evening star"
and "the morning star" both have the same referent, which is the planet Venus.
An example can be: "The Big Apple" and "New York City" both refer to the city of New York,
particularly emphasizing its importance and prominence in the world.
3. Yes, the same expression can have different referents in different contexts. This
phenomenon is known as polysemy, where a single word or expression has multiple related
meanings.
An example can be: "Mouse": In one context, "mouse" might refer to a small, furry mammal. In
another context, it might refer to a computer device used for pointing and clicking.
 4. Invariable Referent:
An example of an expression with an invariable referent is "the number 2." The expression
always refers to the mathematical concept of the number 2, which is a specific quantity that can
be represented in various ways (e.g., as a numeral, as a word, or as a symbol).
 No Referent:
An example of an expression with no referent is "the tooth fairy's wand." The expression
refers to a fictional object that does not exist in the real world. While people may have mental
images or cultural representations of what a tooth fairy's wand might look like, there is no
physical object or entity that corresponds to this expression in the same way that there is for "the
Eiffel Tower" or "a unicorn."
5. The sentence “Every expression that has meaning has sense, but not every expression
has reference” means that every meaningful expression in a language has a certain level of
internal structure and organization that allows speakers to understand its intended sense or
meaning, but not all expressions necessarily have a corresponding external entity or thing in the
world that they refer to, i.e., a reference.
6. A typical dictionary definition of a word is a concise and clear statement that describes
the word's meaning, often using other words or phrases that are themselves defined in the
dictionary. Dictionary definitions aim to provide a general sense of what the word means in
everyday language use and are intended to be understood by a wide audience, including non-
native speakers and learners of the language.
It is possible to write a definition that is complete in the sense that it includes all of the
word's possible meanings and associations, but such a definition would likely be too complex
and unwieldy to be useful for most people. Instead, dictionaries aim to provide a basic and
generally accepted sense of the word's meaning, which can be further contextualized and refined
through exposure to real-world language use and interaction with other speakers of the language.
7. "The Evening Star / The Morning Star" are examples of two different expressions that
refer to the same planet, Venus. This is an example of how different expressions can have the
same referent, as both "the Evening Star" and "the Morning Star" are names given to Venus
based on its visibility in the sky at different times of the day.
8. "The President of the United States / The Commander-in-Chief / The Leader of the
Republican Party" are three expressions that refer to the same person, but they highlight different
aspects of the person's identity and roles. "The President of the United States" emphasizes the
person's political office, while "The Commander-in-Chief" emphasizes their role as the top
military authority, and "The Leader of the Republican Party" emphasizes their position within a
particular political party.
9. "Visiting relatives can be boring" is an example of how the meaning of an expression
can be affected by its context. The expression does not have a fixed or objective meaning, but
rather its meaning depends on the speaker's personal experiences, attitudes, and relationship with
their relatives. This shows how language is not just a static system of symbols, but a dynamic
tool for expressing and negotiating personal and social meanings.
10. "The planet Mars" is an example of an expression that has both sense and reference. It
has a well-defined and universally recognized sense as a celestial body in our solar system, and it
also has a reference to a specific object in the world that can be observed and studied by
scientists.
11. "Smoking grass can be dangerous" is an example of an expression that can be
ambiguous or unclear without additional context or knowledge. "Smoking grass" could refer to
smoking marijuana or to smoking literal grass, and the expression does not provide enough
information to determine the intended meaning. This highlights the importance of context and
shared knowledge in understanding language use.

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Unit 3.

Study Guide and Exercises

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