Information AboutSemantic |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SEMANTICS | |
| grammar | |
| semantics | |
| social philosophygrammar | |
| semantics | |
| social philosophy | |
| linguistics | |
| philosophy of language | |
| semiotics | |
| theoretical computer science | |
| formal methods | |
| lexicology | |
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''Semantics'' ( Greek ''sēmantikos'', giving signs, significant, symptomatic, from ''sēma'' (), Sign ) refers to aspects of Meaning , as expressed in Language or other systems of Signs . Semantics contrasts with '' Syntax '', which is the study of the structure of sign systems (focusing on the form, not meaning). Related to semantics is the field of '' Pragmatics '', which studies the practical use of signs by Agent s or Communities of interpretation within particular circumstances and contexts. Semanticists generally recognize two sorts of meaning that an expression (such as the sentence, "John ate a bagel") may have: (1) the relation that the expression, broken down into its constituent parts (signs), has to things and situations in the real world as well as possible worlds, and (2) the relation the signs have to other signs, such as the sorts of mental signs that are conceived of as '' Concept s''. Most theorists refer to the relation between a sign and its objects, as always including any manner of objective reference, as its '' Denotation ''. Some theorists refer to the relation between a sign and the signs that serve in its practical interpretation as its '' Connotation '', but there are many more differences of opinion and distinctions of theory that are made in this case. Many theorists, especially in the Formal Semantic , Pragmatic , and Semiotic traditions, restrict the application of ''semantics'' to the Denotative Aspect , using other terms or completely ignoring the Connotative Aspect . ETYMOLOGY The word semantic (from French ''sémantique'') was invented by Michel Bréal during the 19th century. LINGUISTICS In Linguistics , semantics is the subfield that is devoted to the study of meaning, as borne on the syntactic levels of words, phrases, sentences, and even larger units of Discourse (referred to as ''texts''). As with any Empirical Science , semantics involves the interplay of concrete data with theoretical concepts. Traditionally, semantics has included the study of connotative '' Sense '' and denotative '' Reference '', Truth Condition s, Argument Structure , Thematic Role s, Discourse Analysis , and the linkage of all of these to syntax. The decompositional perspective towards meaning holds that the meaning of words can be analyzed by defining meaning atoms or primitives, which establish a language of thought. An area of study is the meaning of Compounds , another is the study of relations between different linguistic expressions ( Homonym y, Synonym y, Antonym y, Polysemy , Paronyms , Hypernym y, Hyponym y, Meronymy , Metonymy , Holonymy , Exocentric , and Endocentric ). The dynamic turn in semantics This traditional view of semantics, as a finite meaning inherent in a Lexical Unit that can be composed to generate meanings for larger chunks of discourse, is being fiercely debated in the emerging domain of Cognitive Linguistics and also in the non- Fodorian camp in Philosophy Of Language The challenge is motivated by
A concrete example of the latter phenomenon is semantic Underspecification — meanings are not complete without some elements of context. To take an example of a single word, "red", its meaning in a phrase such as ''red book'' is similar to many other usages, and can be viewed as compositional :Each of a set of synonyms like ''redouter'' ('to dread'), ''craindre'' ('to fear'), ''avoir peur'' ('to be afraid') has its particular value only because they stand in contrast with one another. No word has a value that can be identified independently of what else is in its vicinity.
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