U4 L5 Semantics

Question 1

What Greek word is the term semantics derived from? And what does that Greek word mean?

Answer 1

semantikos, signification

Question 2

What is semantics?

Answer 2

scientific study of word meanings

Question 3

What are the three main areas of semantics?

Answer 3

• philosophical
• general
• linguistic

Question 4

What is does Linguistic semantics deal with?

Answer 4

• word meanings as they occur in language structure

- what they mean and add to context

Question 5

What does General semantics deal with?

Answer 5

word influence and meanings on human behavior

Question 6

What does Philosophical semantics deal with?

Answer 6

• symbolic logic
• theories of meaning
• looks at signs and symbols
• tries to form these into a symbolic language
• then tries to analyze relations btw signs and symbols and their meanings

Question 7

What are the other/early names for semantics?

Answer 7

semasiology and significs

Question 8

What is connotation?

Answer 8

• suggest meaning of a word

- differs from lexical meaning

Question 9

When did modern semantics begin to develop?

Answer 9

early 20th century

Question 10

Who developed a theory of general semantics?

Answer 10

Alfred Korzybski

Question 11

What did S.I. Hayakawa advance?

Answer 11

study of general semantics

Question 12

Is general semantics considered part of language studies of linguistic semantics?

Answer 12

no

Question 13

What does General semantics deal with?

Answer 13

inadequacy of language to express what is left

Question 14

What did IA Richards and CK Ogden use semantics in?

Answer 14

their study of stylistics and literary crticism

Question 15

Why is context important to both meaning and understanding?

Answer 15

includes all parts of a sentence that surrounds a word/phrase that can give meaning to the word/phrase

Question 16

What are the 5 levels of usage?

Answer 16

• intimate
• casual
• conference
• formal
• frozen

Question 17

What is intimate level of usage?

Answer 17

• very close friends and family

- little context needed

Question 18

What is casual level of usage?

Answer 18

• friends

- slang

Question 19

What is conference level of usage?

Answer 19

• making appointment

- conducting business

Question 20

What is formal/official level of usage?

Answer 20

adults who have higher positions than you

Question 21

What is frozen level of usage?

Answer 21

• written material
• textbooks and formal written material
• very general because the audience is large and unknown

Question 22

Why are semanticists interested in advertising?

Answer 22

• advertisers play/change the meaning of words for their own purpose
• meaning/grammatical use of a word in a slogan influences meaning/usage of word from that point forward
• shades of meaning communicated by words that qualify the meaning

Question 23

How often do advertisements/advertising change the usage of a word?

Answer 23

sometimes