CHAPTER 9
SEMANTICS
Understanding Meaning in Language
Part 1
Making connections…
• In Chapter 8 we studied the FORM or the structure and
ordering of words and phrases within a sentence in a
given language, i.e. the syntax of a language.
• In this chapter we are concerned with MEANING, so we Syntax Semantics
will move on to consider how we can include the analysis (FORM) Language (MEANING)
of meaning in the study of a language, i.e. the semantics
Ch. 8 Ch. 9
of a language.
So…
Semantics:
is the study of the MEANING of words,
phrases and sentences in a language.
Let’s start…
1. Define ”needle” as you might find it in a dictionary.
A possible definition could be…
“a small, pointed piece of metal that's used in medicine or sewing.”
2. Now, try to remember an instance where you experienced something with a needle.
What comes into your mind? How does a needle relate to you different than other people? What
associations or connotations did you make?
Conventional/Literal
Objective/General
Conceptual
Shared Knowledge
Basic
Meaning
Individual
Local
Associative
Subjective
Particular
Conventional/Literal
Objective/General SEMANTIC
Meaning Conceptual ANALYSIS
Shared Knowledge
Basic
Semantic Analysis
Studies the basic conceptual meaning of words, phrases and
sentences
Focuses on what the words conventionally mean; i.e. the objective
or general meaning ‘the shared knowledge’
Semantic Analysis or basic conceptual meaning
can be studied through:
• I. Semantic Features (Part 1)
• II. Semantic Roles (Part 1)
• III. Lexical Relations (Part 2)
• IV. Collocation (Part 2)
I. SEMANTIC FEATURES
Think about the following sentences:
The hamburger ate the hotdogs.
The table called the radio.
The horse is reading the newspaper.
Syntactically speaking: the examples above have well-formed structures:
• S → NP VP
• NP → Art N
• VP → V NP
But why do they sound strange or ODD???? What is the problem????
Let’s examine the first example:
‘The hamburger ate the hotdogs.’
• In terms of syntax, it is well-formed. S → NP VP...
• In terms of semantics: a hamburger can’t eat!
THE REASON:
The kind of noun that can be the subject of the verb ’ate’ must have the feature of ‘a living being able to
eat’ i.e. [+animate]…and a hamburger is a [-animate] that can’t eat.
THE SOLUTION:
For the sentence to be semantically well-formed the noun must have the “[+animate]” component/feature
of meaning in order to be used as the subject of the verb ‘ate’ like the boy, the girl, Anna, Alex, a cat….
This approach involves a view of words in a language as some sort of “containers” that carry meaning
components (like [+animate])...but what about abstract words like: advice, warning, freedom??
If we try to think of their components/features, we will not be very successful. ☹
II. Semantic/Thematic Roles
Instead of thinking of words as “containers” of meaning, we can look at the roles they fulfill within
the situation described by the sentence.
In “The boy kicked the ball”:
• the verb describes an action (kick)
• the noun phrases in the sentence describe the roles of entities, such as people (The boy) and things
(the ball), involved in the action.
We can identify some semantic/thematic roles for these noun phrases.
Noun Phrase Role Semantic Role
The boy the entity that performs an action Agent
the ball the entity involved in/affected by the action Theme
Semantic Roles in a Nutshell..
Semantic Roles Definition Examples
Agent the entity that performs an action The boy cut himself.
Theme/Patient 1. the entity involved in/affected by the action 1. The boy cut himself.
2. the entity being described 2. The book was used.
Instrument the entity used to perform an action He cut it with a razor.
Experiencer the entity as a person who has a feeling, perception or state The boy feels sad.
Location where the entity is in the description of an event The plate is on the table.
Source where the entity moves from We drove from Zahle to
Beirut.
Goal where the entity moves to We drove from Zahle to
Beirut.
Practice…
Do a semantic/thematic role analysis to the following sentences:
1. The teacher taught the lesson.
2. The child felt happy.
3. She cut the paper with scissors.
4. The meeting was held in the classroom.
5. The news spread from the city to the village.
Practice AK…
1. The teacher taught the lesson.
Agent: The teacher (the entity that performs the action of teaching)
Theme: the lesson (the entity involved in/affected by the action of teaching)
2. The child felt happy.
Experiencer: The child (the entity who experiences the emotion of happiness)
3. She cut the paper with scissors.
Agent: She (the entity that performs the action of cutting)
Theme: the paper (the entity involved in/affected by the action of cutting)
Instrument: scissors (the entity used to perform the action of cutting)
4. The meeting was held in the classroom.
Theme: The meeting (the entity that is being described/the event that is being held)
Location: the classroom (the place where the: meeting is held/ entity is in the description of the event)
5. The news spread from the city to the village.
Theme: The news (the entity being spread)
Source: the city (where the news moves from)
Goal: the village (where the news moves to)
Semantic Analysis or basic conceptual meaning
can be studied through:
• I. Semantic Features (Part 1)
• II. Semantic Roles (Part 1)
• III. Lexical Relations (Part 2)
• IV. Collocation (Part 2)
Thank
You!
