bài giảng semantics & pragmatics

Conceptual & Associative meaning• Conceptual meaning/ literal meaning/ denotative meaning: basic meaning in the dictionary • Associative meaning/ figurative meaning/ connotative meaning

Học phần Semantics & Pragmatics

Ngữ nghĩa học& Ngữ dụng học

2 ĐVHT

Giáo viên: Phạm Thị Hải Trang

Lớp: 53 BPD 1&2Khoa Ngoại Ngữ

Lecture 1

Conceptual & Associative

meaning (Denotation & Connotation)

Conceptual & Associative meaning

• Conceptual meaning/ literal meaning/

denotative meaning: basic meaning in the

dictionary

• Associative meaning/ figurative meaning/

connotative meaning: additional meaning

to show people’s emotions or attitude

Ex: a needle

• “thin”, “sharp”, “steel” instrument

• “pain”, “drugs”, “blood”, “thread”, “knitting”

• Low-calorie

– “Produce a small amount of heat and energy” – “Healthy”

• Trắng

– “Có màu sáng như màu của vôi, bông”

– “Đẹp”, “mướt”

white

How to find the associative

meaning of a word?

• The culture in which the word is used

• The language user’s family or

Exercise 1:What kind of connotation

does each word below has?

• Woman/ Mother/ witch

• The old man/ man/ father

• Slender/ skinny/ thin

• Plump/ overweight/ fat

• Stingy/Frugal

• Pushy/ Aggressive

Exercise 1:What kind of connotation

does each word below has?

• Woman/ Mother/ witch

• The old man/ man/ father

• Slender/ skinny/ thin

• Plump/ overweight/ fat

Exercise 2

1 Which word below may be considered old-fashioned:

stewardess or flight attendant?

2 Which word below is considered old-fashioned in

everyday speech: automobile or car?

3 Which word below has a more negative connotation:

Lecture 2

Semantic features

Semantic features/

Semantic components/ semantic properties

• The crucial element/ feature of meaning/ the basic conceptual meaning

• Ex: Child

– [+human], [+young],[+/- male], [+innocent]

Common semantic features:

Why do we need to study the basic

conceptual meaning?

To differentiate the meaning of each word

in a language from every single word.

To account for the ‘oddness’.

The hamburger ate the boy

– hamburger

• [-animate], [-eating]

– boy

• [+animate], [+eating]

• Can the same semantic feature be part of the meaning of many different words?

– Yes, it can.

– Doctor, teacher, engineer, tailor all share the

same semantic feature [+professional]

• Can the same semantic feature occur in words

of different parts of speech?

– Yes, it can

– Mother (n) [+female]

– Pregnant (a) [+female]

Semantic fields

Related semantically similar items

• Items related by topics

– Types of fruit: apples, oranges, grapes

• Items which are similar in meaning

– Ways of walking: tiptoe, plod, limp

• Items which form pairs of antonyms/ synonyms

– Old/new, long/short

– Fix/repair/mend

• Items grouped as an activity or a process

– Do the housework: clean the rooms, do the washing

Exercise 1: Use the semantic features, how would you explain the oddness of these sentences

• The television drank my water

• His dog writes poetry

– The verb drink requires a subject with the

feature [+animate] and the noun television

has the feature [-animate].

– The verb write requires a subject with the

feature [+human] and the noun dog has

the feature [-human]

Exercise 2 :identify the semantic features

Exercise 2 :identify the semantic features

• [+plant], [+evergreen tree],

[+needle-shaped leaves], [+pale soft wood]

• [+plant], [+deciduous tree], [+tough

hard wood]

Exercise 3 : identify the semantic features in each of the following words

Homeworkidentify the semantic features of the following words

Lecture 3

Semantic roles

– There are 7 roles

– They are: Agent, theme, instrument, experiencer,

location, source and goal

• 3 What does ‘entity’ mean?

– People or things (noun phrases)

Semantic roles/ thematic roles

• Agent and theme/ patient

• Instrument and experiencer

• Location, source and goal

How are the semantic roles different to one

another?

Agent and theme/ patient

• Agent

– performs an action

– are typically human

• She handed the magazine.

• Theme

– is involved or affected by an action or just simply being

described

– is typically non-human

• The dog caught the ball.

• The ball was red

• The same physical entity can appear in two different semantic roles in a sentence.

• The boy cut himself

Instrument and experiencer

• If an agent uses another entity in order to perform an action, that other entity fills the role of instrument

– The boy cut the rope with an old razor.

• When a noun phrase is used to designate

an entity as the person who has a feeling, perception or state, it fills the semantic role

of experiencer

– The boy feels sad.

Location, source and goal

• Where an entity is fills the role of location

– She put the book on the table

• Where the entity moves from is the source

– Roberto is from Chicago

• Where it moves to is goal

– Peter is going to New Orleans next week

Exercise 1 : identify the semantic roles of the following sentences

• A car run over the ball

• She squashed the bug with the magazine

• From savings to checking

• “Gee thanks” said George

• Mary saw a fly on the floor

• He drew the picture with a crayon

• Did you hear that noise?

• A car run over the ball

• She squashed the bug with the magazine

• From savings to checking

instrument

• “Gee thanks” said George.

• Mary saw a fly on the floor.

• He drew the picture with a crayon.

• Did you hear that noise?

Exercise 2 : identify the semantic roles of the following sentences

• The senator sent the lobster from Maine to Nebraska

• Terry gave the skis to Mary

• The magician changed the handkerchief into a rabbit

• The astronomer saw the comet with a new telescope at the observatory

• The magician changed the handkerchief into a rabbit

• The astronomer saw the comet with a new

telescope at the observatory

agent

theme goal

theme experiencer

instrument location

Homework : identify the semantic roles of the seven noun phrases in this sentence

With her new golf club, Anne Marshall whacked the ballfrom the woods to the grassy areanear the hole and she suddenly felt

Lecture 4

Lexical relations

1 What are lexical relations?

The meanings of words in terms of their relationship

Hide/ conceal – synonymy

Shallow/ deep – antonymy

Daffodil/ flower - hyponymy

2 How many lexical relations do we have?

Part 1

Synonym & Antonym

• What are synonyms?

• Synonyms are various words which have different

(written and sounds) forms but which have the same or nearly the same meaning

• What is synonymy?

• Synonymy is a relation in which various words have

different forms but have the same or nearly the same meaning.

– Ex:

kind/ type/ sort/ variety

a group having similar characteristics.

hide/ conceal

keep somebody from being seen

• Synonymous set expressions

– After all/ in the long run

• Structural synonymy

– She is taller than her sister.

– Her sister is shorter than her

Activity : find all the synonyms of the following

words and give examples for each of them

• Movie/ Film/ Motion picture/ Flick

– An American movie.

– A British film.

– A motion picture from the thirties of the 20 century

• Fast/ Quick/ Rapid

– A fast talker.

– A quick talker.

– A rapid change.

• Deep/ Profound

– This river is very deep.

– You have my profound sympathy

• Ripe/ Mature

– This mango is ripe enough for us to eat – She is mature enough, you don’t have to teach her anymore

• Broad/ Wide/ Large/ Huge

– This is a broad picture.

– This river is wide.

– My father comes from a large family.

– That is really a huge house.

• Soil/ Earth/ Land

– This soil is good to grow trees.

– The earth is becoming warmer.

– Agriculture land has been sold lately.

• Edge/ Side/ Margin/ Tip

– This soil is good to grow trees.

– I will be always on your side.

– The margin profit this year is good.

– The tip of the tongue

find 5 synonyms for each category

• What are antonyms?

• Antonyms are words which have different

(written and sound) forms and which are

• true/ false, big/ small, buy/ sell

• pass/ fail, hot/ cold, thinner/ fatter

Types of antonyms

• Gradable (opposite along the scale)

– Hot – warm - cool - cold

• Non-gradable (complementary/ binary)

– Alive/ dead

• Relational (Converse terms)

– Parent/ child

• Taxonomic (Multiple incompatibles)

– East, West, South, North

– Spring, summer, autumn, winter

Activity 1 : What type of antonyms?

Activity 2 : Identify the continuous scale of

values between the two given words

Never-rarely/seldom-Homework : Gradable?

Part 2

Hyponym Homophones Homonyms

Grill toast boil fry roast bake smoke

stir-fry saute deep-fry

Exercise : identify the hyponymy of

the following words

• Animal and foal

• Animal and child

• Fowl and rooster

• Plant and coconut

• Plant and rose

Animal and foal

Animal

fish bird insect mammal bug reptile

animal human

dog horse sheep

stallion mare foal

Animal and child

Fowl and rooster

Fowl

Turkey chicken goose duck

Plant and coconut

Plant

flowering plant bush tree moss grass

pine palm gum

Plant and rose

Plant

Tree bush flowering plant moss grass

lily daisy violet tulip rose

Homework: draw a chart to show the relationship between a hypernym and a hyponym

• Vocal organ and tongue tip

• Furniture and dressing table

• Vehicle and convertible

• Vocalize and croon

• Head and eyelash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototype_theory

• A prototype is an original type, form, or

instance of something serving as a typical example, basis, or standard for other

things of the same category

• The concept of a prototype helps explain the meaning of certain words in terms of resemblance to the clearest sample

A robin

Homophones and Homonyms

• Homophones are various words which have the same sound but which have different meanings and written forms.

– Ex: /pleis/

• particular area in space (place)

• a type of fish (plaice)

• Homonyms are various words which have the same (sound and written) form but which have different meanings.

– Ex: bear

• a large heavy animal with thick fur (n)

• give birth (v)

• tolerate (v)

Exercise : identify homonyms

• Thing that can be hear

• Healthy or in good condition

Homework: identify homonyms

• Lie

• Bat

• Too

Exercise : identify the pairs of

Exercise: find the homophones

Homework: draw a chart to show the relationship between a hypernym and a hyponym

• Vocal organ and tongue tip

• Furniture and dressing table

• Vehicle and convertible

• Vocalize and croon

• Heal and eyelash

Homework: identify homonyms

• A tool for hitting in

baseball

• More than should be

• Also

Homework: identify the pairs of

Polysemy, Metonymy, Collocation

What is polysemy?

Polysemy is a relation in which a single word has two or more slightly different but closely related meanings.

Ex: chip

– a small piece of potato

– a small but vital piece of a computer

• A polysemous word can relate lexical ambiguity.

• Ex: That robot is bright

shining intelligent

Exercise: explain the lexical ambiguity of the

following sentences by providing 2 sentences that paraphrase the 2 meanings

• The long drill is boring

• The proprietor of the fish store was the

sole owner

• We like the ball

• He was knocked over by the punch

Exercise: explain the lexical ambiguity of the

following sentences by providing 2 sentences that paraphrase the 2 meanings

• The long drill is boring.

– The tool is not sharp enough.

– The long training exercise is uninteresting.

• The proprietor of the fish store was the sole owner.

– He was the only owner.

– He was the single owner.

• We like the ball.

– We like the sphere.

– We like the formal social gathering for dancing.

• He was knocked over by the punch.

– He was knocked over because of a blow given with the fist.

– He was knocked over beside the machine cutting holes in paper, metal.

• He succeeded to the crown

– The royal office

• He is the best pen

– The best writer

Activity 1: Find the metonymy

• He drank the cup

– The coffee

• She has an ear for music

– Talent

• All our glass is kept in the cupboard.

– Things made of glass

• I have never read Keat

– Keat’s poems

Activity 2: Find the metonymy and explain

• Can you protect your children from the

cradle to the grave?

• We need a force of thousand rifles

• He is too fond of the bottle

• She has a good head of business

• The marble speaks

• I love old China Crockery made in China

The marble statue

Is good at

Soldiers From childhood to death

The liquor in the bottle

Homework: Find the metonymy

• The princess captures the hearts of the

nation

• Spare the rod and spoil the child

• The conquerors smoke the city

• Who brought fire and sword into our

country?

• Why don’t you recognize the purse?

Activity : which is the basic lexical relation between each pair of words listed here?

Frequent occurring together words

blue sky, white snow, safe and sound

Types of collocations

– With "and" as the

conjunction

• to and fro

• trial and error

– With "or" or "nor" or as

the conjunction

• sink or swim

• sooner or later

– With antonyms

• high and low

• near and far

– With synonyms

• first and foremost

• heart and soul

– With alliteration

• sugar and spice

• top and tail

– With repetition

• side to side

• step by step

Lecture 5 Pragmatics

Part I

• Speech act (direct and indirect speech acts)

• Politeness (negative and positive face)

• We must use the ‘context’ and some

‘preexisting knowledge’ as we work toward

a reasonable interpretation

Heated attendant parking

• A place where you can park your heated attendant here?

• A place where parking will be carried out

by attendants who have been heated?

A heated place where you can park your car and there will be an attendant to look after

the car

• Linguistic context or co-text

– The set of other words used in the same

phrase or sentences.

– She has to get to the bank to withdraw some

money.

• Physical context

– The physical location

which influences interpretation.

Deixis

• Common words that can’t be interpreted out of the context

Deictic expressions

• person deixis

– It, this, these boxes

– Him, them, those idiots

Exercise 1

What kind of deictic expression are used in

this utterance?

• I’m busy now so you can’t stay here

Come back later.

Person deixis Temporal deixis Spatial deixis

Exercise 2

Why is the concept of deictic projection necessary for the analysis of the following

deictic expressions?

• On a map/ directory: YOU ARE HERE.

• On a telephone answering machine: I am

not here now.

• Watching a horse race: Oh, no I’m in the

last place.

• An act by which a speaker uses language to

enable a listener to identify something.

• For each word or phrase, there is a range of

Exercise

What do you think is meant by the

statement:

“A context is psychological construct”

(Sperber & Wilson, 1995)

Inference

• Additional information used by the listener

to create a connection between what is

said and what must be meant

– Where’s the spinach salad sitting?

– Jennifer is wearing Calvin Klein

The guest who orders spinach salad

The clothes designed by Calvin Klein

Exercise

What kind of inference is involved in interpreting

each of these utterances?

• Teacher: You can borrow my Shakespeare.

• Waiter: The ham sandwich left without paying.

• Nurse: The hernia in room 5 wants to talk to the

Homework

You asked your father I you could go out to

a dance and you received one of these two responses Do you think that they

have the same meaning?

• Yes, of course, go.

• If you want, you can go.

You can go

I don’t want you to go