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Module2 Semantics Reference&Sense

The document discusses the concepts of reference and sense in English semantics, explaining how reference connects language to the world through referents, while sense relates to the meaning of expressions within a system of semantic relationships. It highlights that expressions can have variable reference depending on context, and that sense can vary even within single words or sentences. The document also emphasizes the distinction between sense and reference, noting that not all expressions have reference, but all have sense.

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3 views

Module2 Semantics Reference&Sense

The document discusses the concepts of reference and sense in English semantics, explaining how reference connects language to the world through referents, while sense relates to the meaning of expressions within a system of semantic relationships. It highlights that expressions can have variable reference depending on context, and that sense can vary even within single words or sentences. The document also emphasizes the distinction between sense and reference, noting that not all expressions have reference, but all have sense.

Uploaded by

tran huy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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English Semantics

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MODULE 2
Reference and Sense

Instructor: Lam Hoang Phuc


2.1. Reference

▪ By means of reference, a speaker indicates which things


in the world (including persons) are being talked about.
E.g.

▪ Reference is a relationship between parts of a language


and things outside the language (in the world). These
identified things are called referents.
E.g. The table that you touched when saying ‘This table’ is
the referent of the phrase this table.
2.1. Reference

▪ The same expression can, in some cases, be used to refer


to different things. Thus, many expressions in a language
can have variable reference.
E.g. The expression that car may refer to the car you saw on
the parking lot of the supermarket near your house, or the
car you saw on the street where you live.
The reference of an expression varies according to the
circumstances (time, place, etc.) in which the expression is
used, and/or the topic of the conversation in which the
expression is used.
2.1. Reference

▪ There are cases of expressions which in normal everyday


conversation never refer to different things, i.e. in most
everyday situations that one can envisage, have constant
reference.
E.g. The People’s Republic of China normally has constant
reference (only referring to the country China).
▪ There is very little constancy of reference in language.
▪ Two different expressions can have the same referent.
This situation is called co-reference.
E.g. The Morning Star and the Evening Star both refer to the
planet Venus.
2.2. Sense

▪ The sense of an expression is its place in a system of


semantic relationships with other expressions in the
language. One such relationship is sameness of meaning.
E.g. almost and nearly have more or less the same sense.
▪ We can talk about the sense, not only of words, but also
of longer expressions such as phrases and sentences.
E.g. Bachelors prefer redheads and Girls with red hair are
preferred by unmarried men have more or less the same
sense.
2.2. Sense

▪ In some cases, the same word can have more than one
sense.
E.g. The meaning of the word bank is different in the
following sentences:
- I have an account at the Bank of Scotland.
- We steered the raft to the other bank of the river.
▪ One sentence can have different senses too.
E.g. The sentence The chicken is ready to eat has two
different interpretations:
1. The chicken is ready to be eaten.
2. The chicken is ready to eat something.
2.3. Sense versus reference

▪ On the relationship between sense and reference: the


referent of an expression is often a thing or a person in
the world; whereas the sense of an expression is not a
thing at all.
▪ In fact, it is difficult to say what sort of entity the sense of
an expression is. Intuitively, it is sometimes useful to think
of sense as that part of the meaning of an expression that
is left over when reference is factored out.
▪ The sense of an expression is an abstraction, but it is
helpful to note that it is an abstraction that can be
entertained in the mind of a language user.
When a person understands fully what is said to him, it is
reasonable to say that he grasps the sense of the
expressions he hears.
2.3. Sense versus reference

▪ Every expression that has meaning has sense, but not


every expression has reference.
E.g. The expression beautiful certainly has some sense, but it
does not refer to anything in the world.
▪ When you look up the meaning of a word in a dictionary,
what you find is an expression with the same sense.
▪ There is something essentially circular about the set of
definitions in a dictionary. Similarly, defining the senses of
words and other expressions often has something of this
circular nature, and this is often unavoidable.
2.3. Sense versus reference

▪ Just as there is something grammatically complete about


a whole sentence, as opposed to a smaller expression
such as a phrase or a single word, there is something
semantically complete about a proposition, as opposed to
the sense of a phrase or single word.
E.g. Johnny has got a new teacher corresponds to a
complete independent thought, whereas Johnny does not.
2.3. Sense versus reference

▪ To the extent that perfect translation between languages


is possible, essentially the same sense can be said to
belong to expressions in different languages.
E.g. Ce matin and this morning have the same sense.
▪ Just as one can talk of the same sense in different
languages, so one can talk of expressions in different
dialects of one language as having the same sense.
E.g. Pavement in British English and sidewalk in American
English have the same sense.
REFERENCES

Hurford, J. R., Heasley, B. & Smith, M. B. (2007).


Semantics: A course book. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

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