SEMANTICS AND LINGUISTICS

UNIT 1

SEMANTICS AND LINGUISTICS

A.   Semantics

            As a term, semantics appeared for the first time in English in 1894 in a paper called “Reflected Meaning: A Point in Semantics” by a member of the American Philological Association.  While in French, the term semantics was coined by M. Breal from the Greek language, semantique, in 1883. In 1923, C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards published “The Meaning of Meaning” in which the term semantics appear in the appendix.

B.   Semantics and Linguistics

            Semantics is one of the linguistics’ level or component along with phonetic, phonology, morphology, and syntax. It studies the meaning of words and other parts of language. Language itself is used as a communicative system which consists of two aspects; something to be communicated - message (signified) and something that communicates - a set of signs or symbols (signifier). Although there are many other communicative systems, language is different from them because:

1.      Not every piece of language has a message in any real sense since sometimes language is used to establish and maintain social relationship.

2.      Each sign, message, and the relationship between them in language is very complicated.

3.      We cannot specify precisely what message in a language is because it cannot be independently identified.

C.   Semantics is Empirical

            Both linguistics and semantics should be empirical. It means that every statement made must be verifiable by observation.

D.   Semantics Concerning Generalization

       1.  Parole and Langue

            Linguistics cannot be identified as specific instances, but rather with generalization in which Ferdinan de Saussure (1916) made a distinction between speaking (parole) and language (langue). Noam Chomsky then uses different terms as competence and performance.

       2.  The focus of the general study of semantics

            Semantics is not only studied about the normal patterns, but also considering the individual meaning on how and why an individual turns from the normal patterns.

E.    Speaking Meaning versus Word/Sentence Meaning

            Speaking meaning is what the speaker means when uttering a piece of language, while word/sentence meaning is a word/sentence means. Some sentences have a direct meaning while the others are not because they are used to establish social relationship.

F.    Semantics Theory

            Semantics is an attempt to set up a theory to meaning. Here are some examples of semantics fact:

a.       Ken Arok caused Kebo Ijo to die (sentence)

b.      Every man is mortal (Analytic sentence)

c.       Bung Karno is the first president (Equative sentence)

d.      The lamb is too hot to eat (Ambiguous)

e.       Barack Obama is the president of US -> Mrs. Michele Obama is the first lady (Entailment)

G.   Aristotle

            Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who is regarded as a precursor of modern semantics because he concerned about the same areas.