Semantics

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SEMANTICS

By: Sara Said AL-Hatmi


ID.N: 201410135
)INTRODUCTION(
?1.WHAT IS SEMANTICS
 Semantics is a branch of Linguistics which focuses on the study of meaning.

 It is the study of meaning in language, or is the part of linguistics that is concerned with
meaning.

 Semantics is one of the important branches of linguistics, and contracts with interpretation and
meaning of the words, sentence structure, and symbols.

 Semantics tries to understand what meaning is as an element of language and how it is created by
language as well as interpreted, disguised and negotiated by speakers and listeners of language.
2.Where is Semantics first studied?

 Semantics can be first dated back to Ancient Greece in


the work of the philosopher Plato who created many
questions on the explanation of 'meaning' as a concept.

 However, the earliest studies of Semantics strictly in the


area of Linguistics can be found in Central Europe,
definitely France and Germany in the 1820s. During this
time, linguists began to identify the meaning of a lexical
element as a significant feature in the development of
language.
4. Importance of Semantics:
 Clear understanding of meaning allows students and teachers to express their
massage clearly. For example:
1. I sea my friend everyday.
2. I see my friend everyday.
Studying semantics will allow us to explain why only one of these sentences can
be true.

 Structural ambiguity can also give reason for the importance of Semantic
research. For example:

 'The chicken is ready to eat'


Cont.

This sentence can be an example of structural ambiguity as there are a ranger


of understanding on what this sentence means. 

a. It could mean the chicken (itself) is hungry and so is ready to eat


b. the chicken is ready to be served and ate by someone else.

 Studying semantics will allow us to explain what it is exactly about the


headline which is confusing and why readers could be lead to believe
there are two possible meanings.
Cont.

 History of Semantics: understanding the change in some words meaning over time.

 Example1: ‘nice’ was seen as ‘foolish’ in the 1300s. But in modern


society is seen as a positive adjective.

 Example2: ‘Silly’ was seen as ‘happy’ in the 1200s. However, in the


1500’s the meaning shifted to refer to a person who is ‘empty-headed’
or lacking in common sense.
5. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “MEANING”?

 Meaning has two types of definitions.

1.Conceptual(denotative) meaning. It is the type of meaning that


dictionaries are designed to describe.(literal used of word)

2.Associative (connotative) meaning. Different people might have different


associations or connotations which attached to a word. (meaning of a word
defined by the images that its users connect to it).

Conceptual Associative
 (literal used of word.) (Associations attached to a
word.)
e.g. ‘Needle’= a thin, sharp, e.g. ‘needle’= pain, blood,
steel instrument. Drugs, thread.
 6. Methodology
Example of semantics in literature. Comparing between two plays ‘’
Hamlet ’’ and “ Romeo and Juliet” (By William Shakespeare)
 7. Conclusion
Hopefully from listening to this presentation it will have become clear that there are several
reasons to study semantics, for example:

 To further our understanding of how the relationship between the words and structure of a
sentence can affect meaning.

 To try and find a more comprehensive definition of "meaning" which truly cover the concept.

 8. Questions

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