Semantics

An introduction to English Semantics and Pragmatics

By Patrick Griffits

Meelasari288@gmail.com

Chapter 1. 

  Semantic which is talking about the real meaning used by people and pragmatic that has another meaning used by people. So it means a word has its own meaning based on where it is used or in a social context.

    I will give you an example, let see how they can have another meaning.

5.      

1.1 Studying meaning

Differences Pragmatics between Semantics

Semantics : Real meaning

Pragmatics :

The example of pragmatics and semantics in Indonesian Language

Pragmatics

Semantics

·        Masak sih (to convince something) ·        Iya kali ( maybe) ·        Mampus lo dikacangin, (dicuekin) ·        Barang mah lo yg mager . ·        Lu mah ngebantalin gua . ·        Malang amat nasib lo

·        Masak in a real meaning is cooking. ·        Kali has so many meaning in indonesian language  there are in mathematics,example  1 x 3 = , and then kali sungai yg trdapat di desa-desa example : kali cinta, kotabumi utara, lampung utara. ·        Kacang is vegetables. ·        Barang is thing ·        Bantal is one thing to sleep. ·        Malang is the place in Indonesia .

1.2types of meaning

Senders meaning is the meaning that the speaker or writer intends to convey by means of utterance. So utterance meaning is a necessary fiction that linguists doing semantics and pragmatics have to work with.

·        Literal meaning : the real meaning

1.3 Entailment

entailment is a centrally important type of inference in semantics.

Example : 1a.  She is beautiful

                   1b. She is a girl.

                   1c. She is beautiful => she is a girl

                   2a. Mela has arrived in Bangladesh

                   2b. Mela is in Bangladesh.

                   2c. Mela has arrived in Bangladesh => Mela is in Bangladesh

Chapter 2

Adjective meaning

2.1 little-small-not big

      Small – little in size

      Big- large in size

      Much- large in quantity

      Large- ample in extent

      Tiny – very small

2.2.1 Synonyms is equivalence of sense.

      Example =

1a. Mela is smart .

      Mela is diligent.

1b. mela is smart => mela is diligent.

Paraphrase :

Example :

1a. you said mela is smart, so that means she is diligent.

1b. you said mela is diligent, so that means she is smart.

Converses.

Example =

1a. Dedi is taller than his friends.

1b. His friends are shorter than Dedi.

Chapter 3

Noun Vocabulary

      1.1 Prototypes are clear, central members of the denotation of a word.

1.     A prototype face has two eyes

2.     A prototype face has a nose

3.     A prototype face has a mouth

4.     A prototype face has a roof

5.     A prototype face has a door

6.     A prototype face has a window

1.2. parts can have parts

Example : parts of computer

     Monitor , keyboard , mouse ,mouse alternatives , trackball, touchpad.

1.3.         incompatibility

incompatibility is about contrast; breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Chapter 4

Verbs and situations

  4.1  Causatives

The sentences in the left-hand column of table 4.1 are causatives and each one entails the sentences to its right .

Examples of causatives sentences with an entailment from each.

Causatives

Entailments

The thought made her gleeful. The children got the kite to fly . Bad weather forces us to cancel the picnic. I had the students read this article . The lock prevented him from opening the door.( a negative causative)

She was gleeful. The kite flew. We are cancelling he picnic. The students read this article. He did not open the door (that time)

Chapter 5

Figurative Language

5.1 literal and figurative usage

Literal language uses word exactly according to their proper meanings or precise definitions.

Figurative usage uses words deviating from their proper definitions in order to achieve a more complicated understanding or heightened effect.

Chapter 6

6.1  Tense

Past tense             present tense                  future tense

Sample aspect          past simple           present simple                future simple                                      Go                          went                                   will go

Progressive aspect past progressive     present progressive       future progressive                                    Was/were going    am/is/are going                    will be going

Perfect aspect           past perfect           present perfect               future perfect                                       Had gone                   have/has gone                 will have gone

6.2 Aspect

A.spect is about grammatical resources for encoding the time profiles of states and events within in interval of time.

6.2.1 habitually and simple aspect

  (6.11) a. she likes junk food . (state)

              b. the clown pops the balloon nowadays (achievement)

Chapter 7

Modality, Scope, and quantification

Modality is the term for a cluster of meanings centred on the notions of necessity and possibility.

7.1 a . this has to be a good

      b. you can go in now

       c. you are not able to come in my house until tomorrow

       d. beach could be blue.

7.1.1 modal verbs and tense

      a. could/ would you please open the door?

      b. wiil/can you help me?

7.1.2

Deontic , epistemic .

Example of epistemic :

a.     They meet In the campus to study tomorrow.

b.     They may meet In the campus to study tomorrow.

a.     Ara went by car

b.     Ara probably went by car

Example of deontic :

a.     You can eat fried chicken every day.

b.     You should answer his question.

c.      You must be come in the final exam.

Relative scope

a.     You must not provide a receipt

b.     You don’t have to provide a receipt

c.      You must provide a receipt

d.     You have to provide a receipt

A conventioanal notation that is helpful is used in , and explained immediately below the example.

a.     Necessarily (not(you provide a receipt)

b.     Not (necessarily (you provide a receipt)

c.      Necessarily (you provide a receipt)

Chapter 8

Pragmatics

8.1 Conversational implicatures are inferences that depend on the existence of norms for the use of language.

8.2 quality – try to be truthful when communicating

       Quantity- give appropriate amounts of information, not too little and      not too much.

       Manner- utterances should be clear; brief, orderly and not to obscure.

       Relevance – contributions should be relevant to the assumed current goals of the people involved.

A maxim is a pithy piece of widely-applicable advice.

8.1.1 implicatures from the quantity maxim

An implicature relating to the low end of the quantity maxim- giving too little information.

a.     That is an interesting accent, let me guess where you are from, are you from America?

b.     “No”

8.1.2 implicatures from manner

a.     Helen switched the lights off.

b.     Helen caused the lights to go off. She did it in an unusual way’.

       

Chapter 9

Connecting utterances to the background

9.1 definiteness

In noun phrase is a significant aspect of the grammar of English and will be used as starting point here.

9.2.1 pseudo-clefts

a. what hit the sofa was the meteorite

b. what the meteorite hit was the sofa

c. the meteorite hit the sofa.

9.2.2 it-clefts

a. it was her grandma who took judy to the Potter film

b. it was judy who grandma took to the potter film

c. it was the potter film that her grandma took judy to.

9.2.3.passives

a. the conspirators liked the scheme

b. the scheme was liked by the conspirators

9.3 focal stress

Is syntactically located intonaional prominence doing semantic or pragmatic signaling work.

To illustrate how focal stress tries in with syntax.

a.     Could you    [email [her [new     BOSS?]]]

b.     No but I could email her new SECretary.

c.      No, but I could email her university

d.     No, but I could email MEEna.

e.     No, but I could GO there
.