Semantics I

Question 1

lexical semantics

Answer 1

morphemes/words are individually associated with particular meanings
field of study of lexical semantics
meaning of particular words

Question 2

what are associated with meanings too

Answer 2

whole sentences
proposition = sentence= basic unit of meaning
sentence meanings = related to truth conditions
apply predicate (verb kinda) to subject (john)

Question 3

what is the meaning of sentences

Answer 3

• involves info
• basic units of info = propositions
• propositions can be true or false

Question 4

declarative sentences

Answer 4

declarative sentences denote propositions

Question 5

empirical domain of semantics

Answer 5

semanticbits study behavioural phenomena
examine speakers judgements about meaning
exploit truth conditions

Question 6

truth conditions

Answer 6

• core literal meaning of sentence
• when speaker understands sentence = knows conditions under which sentence is true
• do not have to know if true, but just need to know what the world would have to be like for it to be true

Question 7

the zombies are leaning on the fence

Answer 7

• doesnt require much knowledge of zombies
• dotn have to believe in them
• dont have to know if sentence true or false
• need to know which conditions it would be true or false= truth conditions

Question 8

infelicity

Answer 8

• some aspects of meaning not covered by truth conditions
• part of semantic knowledge = conditions under which sentence can be appropriately uttered
• sentence can have identical truth conditions but diff felicity condtions - cant use sentence in same context

Question 9

infelicity ex

Answer 9

who wants fish= mary wants fish or it is mary who wants fish
what does mary want = mary wants fish, # it is mary who wants fish

Question 10

when is a sentence infelicitous

Answer 10

also if doesnt make sense
neither true nor false = no truth conditions, doesnt mean anything
colorless green ideas sleep furiously

Question 11

inference

Answer 11

sentences gives rise to an inference if uttering that sentence conveys some proposition
info conveyed = inference
2 types = entailment and presupposition

Question 12

entailment

Answer 12

proposition entails another if truth of first guarantees truth of second
2nd true in all situations where first true
ex = sara is a famous hunter –> entails sara is a hunter
speaker knows entailment relations even if dont know if sentence true or no

Question 13

hyponymy

Answer 13

entailment can come from meanings of words
apple belongs to set of things that are fruits

Question 14

passivization

Answer 14

entailment can come from syntactic operation like passivization
kate ate an apple , an apple was eaten by kate

Question 15

mutual entailment

Answer 15

kate ate an apple , an apple was eaten by kate = also case of mutual entailment
a entails b and b entails a
= sentences are synonymous or equivalent, no world where one tue and other false

Question 16

what might entailment be due to

Answer 16

meaning of logical words = and, or, not
presence or absence of modifiers

Question 17

word meanings

Answer 17

we need to knwo about meanings of words in order to undersatnd relations like entailment
can compute entailment relationship - need to know word meanings

Question 18

logical words

Answer 18

words whose meaning can be given a very precise definition
and, or, not, every

Question 19

content words

Answer 19

words whose meaning is more difficult to pin down and relies on real world knowledge

Question 20

encyclopedic knowledge

Answer 20

knowldge about facts of world

Question 21

linguistic knowledge

Answer 21

knowledge about semantic relations between context words

Question 22

asymmetric entailment

Answer 22

if a true, b is necessarily true

Question 23

mutual entailment

Answer 23

if a is true, b is necessarily true and if b is true, a is necessarily true

Question 24

contradiction

Answer 24

if a is true, b is necessarily false, is b is false, a is necessarily true

Question 25

presupposition

Answer 25

proposition presupposes another proposition if the second proposition has to be true in order for the first to be true background assumptions that speakers assume are shared bewteen the conservation participants rely on context

Question 26

how to tell entailments from presuppositions

Answer 26

presuppositions persist in envirs where entailments dont so do family of sentences test = involves manipulating original sentence by adding meaning cancelling operations

Question 27

what are family of sentences test

Answer 27

negation yes/no question modal verb like might antecedent of a conditional = if clause

Question 28

what happens to entailments and presups when do family of sentences test

Answer 28

entailments are cancelled in tehse envir presupoositions arent

Question 29

negation

Answer 29

og = mike stopped selling heroin negation = mike didnt stop selling heroin a) mike doesnt currently sell heroin b) mike used to sell heroin a = false now, b = still true a = entail (meaning cancelled), b = presup

Question 30

yes/no question

Answer 30

og = mike stopped selling heroin q = did mike stop selling heroin? a) mike doesnt currently sell heroin b) mike used to sell heroin a = false now, b = still true a = entail (meaning cancelled), b = presup

Question 31

modal verb

Answer 31

og = mike stopped selling heroin modal = mike might stop selling heroin a) mike doesnt currently sell heroin b) mike used to sell heroin a = false now, b = still true a = entail (meaning cancelled), b = presup

Question 32

antecedent of a conditional

Answer 32

og = mike stopped selling heroin ant = if mike stops selling heroin, he wont go to jail a) mike doesnt currently sell heroin b) mike used to sell heroin a = false now, b = still true a = entail (meaning cancelled), b = presup

Question 33

a vs the

Answer 33

a = if you know personally the = if random dog need to keep the same if talking about same entity

Question 34

indefinites

Answer 34

a, an seem to be good when referent has not yet been mentioned bad when referent has already been mentioned a dog walked up to me, a dog licked me = use the, since same dog

Question 35

definites

Answer 35

the seem to be = bad when referent not yet mentionned good when referent already mentionned the dog walked up to me = only good if know what dog, canr use this if random dog

Question 36

what inferences do indefinites and definites trigger

Answer 36

trigger inference that entity exists

Question 37

describe negation = how to know if indefinite

Answer 37

a unicorn walked in and the unicorn walked in = both trigger inference that unicorns exist under negation --> inference only persists with definite = a unicorn didnt walk in --> no inference that unicorn exists (a is indefinite) = the unicorn didnt walk in = existence inference persists (the is definite) :. existence is entailed by indefinite :. existence is presupposed by definite

Question 38

describe negation = how to know if definite

Answer 38

a unicorn walked in and the unicorn walked in = both trigger inference that unicorns exist under negation --> inference only persists with definite = a unicorn didnt walk in --> no inference that unicorn exists (a is indefinite) = the unicorn didnt walk in = existence inference persists (the is definite) :. existence is entailed by indefinite :. existence is presupposed by definite