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Semantics - Unit 2

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32 views

Semantics - Unit 2

Uploaded by

trinhnguyen25899
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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You are on page 1/ 16

SEMANTICS

Unit 2: Sentences,
Utterances, & Propositions
Student time is the most beautiful
time in life.

2
Utterances
• An utterance - any stretch of talk, by one
person, before and after which there is silence
on the part of that person.
- the USE of a piece of language
(e.g. a sequence of sentences / a single phrase /
a single word) by a particular speaker, on a
particular occasion
Practice (p. 16)

3
Sentences
A sentence - An abstractly ideal string of words
put together by the grammatical rules of a
language.
Practice (p. 17)

4
The convention
• Anything written between single quotation
marks ‘ ......’ represents an utterance.
• Anything italicized represents a sentence /
part of a sentence (e.g. a phrase / word)
• E.g. ‘John is coming.’
John is coming.
John
Practice (pp. 17-18)

5
Rules
• A given sentence always consists of the same
words, and in the same order. Any change in
the words, or in their order, makes a different
sentence, for our purposes.
E.g. + Helen rolled up the carpet.
Helen rolled the carpet up.
+ Sincerity may frighten the boy.
Sincerity may frighten the boy.

6
Rules ...
• An utterance is in a particular accent (i.e. a
particular way of pronouncing words).
• Accent and voice belong strictly to the
utterance, not to the sentence uttered.
• Not all utterances are actually tokens of
sentences, but sometimes only of parts of
sentences (phrases/single words).

7
Rules ...
• A SENTENCE - a grammatically complete string
of words expressing a complete thought.
E.g.?? I would like a cup of coffee.
Coffee, please.
Please put it in the kitchen.
In the kitchen

8
Rules ...
• A SENTENCE - a grammatically complete string
of words expressing a complete thought.
E.g. I would like a cup of coffee.
Coffee, please. - NS
Please put it in the kitchen.
In the kitchen - NS
Practices (p. 19)

9
Proposition
• A proposition - that part of the meaning of the
utterance of a declarative sentence which
describe some state of affairs.
The state of affairs typically involves persons/things
referred to by expressions in the sentence and the
situation/action they are involved in. In uttering a
declarative sentence a speaker typically asserts a
proposition.

10
Rules
• The notion of truth can be used to decide
whether two sentences express different
propositions. If one sentence is true and the
other is false (in any circumstances) => they
express different propositions.
E.g. + John gave Mary a book.
Mary was given a book by John.
+ Tom loves Helen.
Helen loves Tom.
11
Rules ...
ØProposition <--> declarative sentences
also involved in the meanings
of other types of sentences (interrogatives,
imperatives)
ØWhen a speaker utters a simple declarative
sentence, he asserts the proposition.

12
Rules ...
• By uttering a simple interrogative/ imperative,
a speaker can mention a particular
proposition, without asserting its truth
E.g. ‘John can go.’
‘Can John go?’
èHave the same propositional content.

Practices (p. 22)

13
Fill in the chart
Uttera Senten Proposi
nce ce tion
Can be loud or quiet
Can be grammatical or
not
Can be true or false
In a particular regional
accent
In a particular
language 14
Fill in the chart
Uttera Senten Proposi
nce ce tion
Can be loud or quiet + _ _
Can be grammatical or
not + + _
Can be true or false + + +
In a particular regional + _ _
accent
In a particular + + _
language 15
Tree diagram

Draw a tree diagram to show the


relationship between the notions:
sentence, utterance and proposition

16

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