新编简明英语语言学教程 何兆熊 第五章笔记和习题

1、Chapter 5 Semanticsn Semantics-the study of language meaning.n Semantics is defined as the study of meaning. However, it is not the only linguistic discipline that studies meaning.n Semantics answers the question “what does this sentence mean”. In other words, it is the analysis of conventional meanings in words and sentences out of context.n Meaning is central to the study of communication.n Classification of lexical meanings. Here are G. Leechs seven types of meaning. ( British linguist)n 1. C

2、onceptual meaning (also called denotative or cognitive meaning) is the essential and inextricable part of what language is, and is widely regarded as the central factor in verbal communication. It means that the meaning of words may be discussed in terms of what they denote or refer to. n 2. Connotative meaning the communicative value an expression has by virtue of what it refers to, embraces the properties of the referent, peripheraln 3. Social meaning (stylistic meaning) what is conveyed about

3、 the social circumstances of the use of a linguistic expressionn 4. Affective meaning (affected meaning) what is communicated of the feeling or attitude of the speaker/writer towards what is referred ton 5. Reflected meaning what is communicated through association with another sense of the same expressionn Taboosn 6. Collocative meaning the associated meaning a word acquires in line with the meaning of words which tend to co-occur with itn (2, 3, 4, 5, 6 can be together called associative meani

4、ng meaning that hinges on referential meaning, less stable, more culture-specific )7. Thematic meaningwhat is communicated by the way in which the message is organized in terms of order and emphasis.Yang Xianyi and Gladys YangJolyHawkes and MinfordGo home On my way backBegin my journeyPass awayBe no moreDead DeathThe breath is just gone out of the bodyDeath Has goneHer spirit has retiredBe taken from us Depart this worldDepart this lifeGone GoneBe no more Deathn What is meaning?- Scholars under

5、different scientific backgrounds have different understandings of language meaning. Some views concerning the study of meaning n Naming theory (Plato) n The conceptualist view n Contextualism (Bloomfield) n Behaviorism Naming theory (Plato): Words are names or labels for things.The linguistic forms or symbols, in other words, the words used in a language are taken to be labels of the objects they stand for; words are just names or labels for thingsn Limitations: 1) Applicable to nouns only. 2) T

6、here are nouns which denote things that do not exist in the real world, e.g. ghost, dragon, unicorn, phenix 3) There are nouns that do not refer to physical objects but abstract notions, e.g. joy, impulse, hatredThe conceptualist viewn The conceptualist view holds that there is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to (i.e. between language and the real world); rather, in the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind. Ogden and

7、Richards: semantic triangleThought/reference concept or notion, mental imageWords/phrases/sentencesSymbol/Form (words), signifier Referent (signified, real object, reality) n The symbol or form refers to the linguistic elements (words and phrases);n The referent refers to the object in the world of experience;n Thought or reference refers to concept.n The symbol or a word signifies things by virtue of the concept associated with the form of the word in the minds of the speaker; and the concept l

8、ooked at from this point of view is the meaning of the word. The contextualism John FirthThe situational context: in a particular spatiotemporal situationLinguistic context (co-text): the probability of a words co-occurrence or collocation with another wordn Meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, contextelements closely linked with language behavior. Two types of contexts are recognized:n Situational context: spatiotemporal situationn Linguistic context: the probability of a words

9、 co-occurrence or collocation.n For example, “black” in black hair & black coffee, or black sheep differs in meaning; “The president of the United States” can mean either the president or presidency in different situation.Behaviorism Bloomfield based on contextualist viewBehaviorists define meaning of a language form as the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearern Behaviorists attempted to define meaning as “the situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearer”.n The story of Jack and Jill: Jill Jack S_r-s_R(the small letters r, sspeech)(the capitalized letter R, Spractical events)Lexical meaning n

《新编简明英语语言学教程 何兆熊 第五章笔记和习题》由会员小**分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《新编简明英语语言学教程 何兆熊 第五章笔记和习题》请在金锄头文库上搜索。