ENG 346: Aspects of the English Language

 

ENG 346: Aspects of the English Language

Lesson 6: Semantics
Week: Feb. 10-16, 2003

Place: Dial 147

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to do each of the following:

  • Explain various kinds of semantic connections among words.
  • Use semantic features to define English words.
  • Explain the various ways that words convey meaning.
  • Discuss the ways that external factors, such as presupposition, shape meaning.
  • Define relevant terms.

Assignments

Read Chapter 7 of Contemporary Linguistics before you come to class on Monday.

 

Revise the outline of your linguistics guide and bring it to class on Friday.

Activities

Think Fast: Comment on the denotations and connotations of the word I assign you in class.

 

Presentation: Semantics (Professor Canada)

 

Cooperative Learning:  Respond to questions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 14, and 17 at the end of Chapter 7 of Contemporary Linguistics.

 

Discussion: During this time, we will discuss the insights and questions that have emerged during our “Think Fast” exercise, my presentation, and cooperative learning.

 

Workshop:  Exchange outlines with a partner.  Comment on your partner’s draft, focusing on the breadth and depth of its content, the accuracy of the information, the general organization of material, and the use of sources.

 

Think Again: Using what you have learned or reviewed in this lesson, interpret a personal encounter with semantics.  For example, you might discuss the implications of connotations or metaphor in a piece of writing or a speech.

 

Conferences: During these one-on-one conferences, I will review some of your writing, orally quiz you on lesson objectives, and field your questions.

 

Announcements: We will wrap up this lesson with announcements regarding upcoming lessons, as well as other relevant subjects.

Terms

Make sure you know the meaning and significance of each of the following terms:

  • antonym
  • connotation
  • deictics
  • denotation
  • discourse
  • extension
  • homophone
  • intension
  • lexical ambiguity
  • meaning
  • metaphor
  • paraphrase
  • polysemy
  • pragmatics
  • presupposition
  • semantic features
  • semantics
  • setting
  • synonym
  • truth conditions

Resources

An Introduction to Language contains extensive information on semantics.

Updated January 7, 2003
© Mark Canada, 2003
mark.canada@uncp.edu

 

Introduction

In our last several lessons, we looked at the three basic components of language: the sounds, the words, and the sentences.  In this lesson, we examine the ways that these components work together to create meaning.  We also will work on improving the outlines to your linguistics guides.  Please bring a hard copy to class.

Discussion

Semantics

Language would not be much use to us if it didn’t mean anything.  When we study semantics, we look at how words and sentences make meaning.  Specifically, we will examine various semantic concepts related to words—including antonymy and synonymy—and the various factors that affect the meanings of sentences.  In addition to such basic ways of conveying meaning as denotation, we will look at metaphor, presupposition, and other complex factors.  Make sure that you can analyze a word, sentence, or larger sample of discourse and discuss the way various factors help to shape meaning.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have examined semantics, the study of meaning.  In our next lesson, we will turn to writing, the means by which we convert thoughts and sounds to visual symbols.