What is semantics?
Semantics is the branch of linguistics and logic that deals with meaning. It studies
how words, phrases, sentences, and symbols convey meaning in different contexts.
It plays a crucial role in various disciplines, including philosophy, computer science,
and artificial intelligence.
What is a Meaning?
Meaning refers to what words, phrases, or sentences represent or signify. There are
different types of meaning, such as literal meaning, figurative meaning, and implied
meaning.
🔹 Example: The word "bank" can mean a financial institution or the side of a river,
depending on the context.
Semantic Features
Semantic features are the basic components of meaning that distinguish one word
from another.
🔹 Example: The word "girl" has the semantic features [+human], [+female], [-
adult/Unmarried], whereas "woman" has [+human], [+female], [+adult/Married].
Semantic Roles
Semantic roles describe the function of words in a sentence in relation to the action.
Agent and Theme
Agent: The doer of an action.
Theme: The entity affected by the action.
🔹 Example: "Tom (agent) kicked the ball (theme)."
Instrument and Experiencer
Instrument: The tool used to perform an action.
Experiencer: The entity that experiences something.
🔹 Example: "She cut the paper with scissors (instrument)."
🔹 Example: "Sarah felt happy (experiencer)."
Location, Source, and Goal
Location: Where an action takes place.
Source: Where something comes from.
Goal: Where something is going.
🔹 Example: "I traveled from New York (source) to California (goal) and
stayed at a hotel (location)."
Lexical Relations
Lexical relations describe how words are related to each other in terms of meaning.
Synonymy
Synonymy are the words with similar meanings.
🔹 Example: "big" and "large"
Antonymy
Antonyms are the words with opposite meanings.
🔹 Example: "hot" and "cold"
Hyponymy
Hyponymy describes a relationship where one word is a more specific type of
another.
🔹 Example: "Rose" is a hyponym of "flower".
Prototypes
Prototypes are the most typical example of a category.
🔹 Example: A sparrow is a more typical example of a bird than a penguin.
Homophones and Homonyms
Homophones: Words that sound the same but have different meanings and
spellings.
🔹 Example: "flower" and "flour"
Homonyms: Words that are spelled and sound the same but have different
meanings.
🔹 Example: "bat" (flying animal) and "bat" (sports equipment).
Polysemy
Polysemy is a single word with multiple related meanings.
🔹 Example: "Head" can mean the top part of the body, the leader of a group, or
the front of something.
Word Play
Using words in a humorous or clever way, often based on multiple meanings.
🔹 Example: "I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough." (Dough =
bread ingredient and money)
Metonymy
A figure of speech where one word is used to represent something closely related.
🔹 Example: "The White House issued a statement." (White House = the U.S.
government)
Collocations and Denotations in Semantics
Collocations
Collocations are words that frequently appear together in natural language. These
word pairings are often learned as fixed expressions because they sound more
natural than their synonyms or other word combinations.
🔹 Examples of Collocations:
Strong collocations: Words that almost always appear together (e.g., "make
a decision" instead of "do a decision")
Common collocations:
o Fast food (not "quick food")
o Heavy rain (not "strong rain")
o Break a promise (not "destroy a promise")
o Deep sleep (not "heavy sleep")
Collocations are important in semantics because they show how words naturally
combine, revealing meaning relationships between them.
Denotations
Denotation refers to the literal or dictionary meaning of a word, without any
additional emotions or associations. It is the explicit meaning of a term, as
opposed to connotation, which involves the cultural or emotional associations a
word carries.
🔹 Examples of Denotation:
"Dog" → A four-legged domesticated animal (denotative meaning)
"Snake" → A legless reptile (denotative meaning)
"Rose" → A type of flower (denotative meaning)
In contrast, connotation involves the emotional or cultural meanings associated
with a word. For example:
"Snake" can connote betrayal or danger.
"Rose" can connote love or romance.
Collocations vs. Denotations in Semantics
Concept Definition Example
Natural word pairings that frequently occur Strong coffee (not
Collocation
together "powerful coffee")
The dictionary meaning of a word, without "Snake" → A legless
Denotation
emotional or cultural associations reptile
Collocations help in understanding natural language usage, while denotation helps
in understanding the direct, literal meaning of words.
Collocations are the words that frequently appear together.
🔹 Example: "fast food" (not "quick food")
🔹 Example: "make a decision" (not "do a decision")
Sure! Here are 10 short questions with answers based on the content:
1. What is semantics?
🔹 Answer: Semantics is the study of meaning in language, focusing on how words,
phrases, and sentences convey meaning.
2. What is the difference between an agent and a theme in semantic roles?
🔹 Answer: The agent is the doer of an action, while the theme is the entity affected
by the action.
🔹 Example: "John (agent) kicked the ball (theme)."
3. What is a synonym? Give an example.
🔹 Answer: A synonym is a word that has the same or a similar meaning as another
word.
🔹 Example: "Happy" and "joyful".
4. What is the difference between homophones and homonyms?
🔹 Answer:
Homophones: Words that sound the same but have different meanings and
spellings (e.g., "flour" and "flower").
Homonyms: Words that are spelled and sound the same but have different
meanings (e.g., "bat" as an animal vs. "bat" in baseball).
5. What is metonymy? Give an example.
🔹 Answer: Metonymy is when a word is used to represent something closely
related.
🔹 Example: "The White House issued a statement." (White House = U.S.
government)
6. What is the difference between source, goal, and location in semantic roles?
🔹 Answer:
Source: Where something comes from (e.g., "He traveled from London.").
Goal: Where something is going (e.g., "She went to Paris.").
Location: Where something happens (e.g., "They met at the park.").
7. What is polysemy? Provide an example.
🔹 Answer: Polysemy is when a word has multiple related meanings.
🔹 Example: "Head" can mean a body part, a leader, or the front of something.
8. What is a prototype in semantics?
🔹 Answer: A prototype is the most typical example of a category.
🔹 Example: A sparrow is a more typical example of a bird than a penguin.
9. What is collocation? Give an example.
🔹 Answer: Collocation is when words frequently appear together.
🔹 Example: "Fast food" (not "quick food").
10. What is word play? Give an example.
🔹 Answer: Word play is the clever or humorous use of words, often based on
multiple meanings.
🔹 Example: "I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough." (Dough =
bread ingredient and money)
