An introduction to semantics

This practical coursebook introduces all the basics of semantics in a simple, step-bystep fashion. Each unit includes short sections of explanation with examples, followed by stimulating practice exercises to complete the book. Feedback and comment sections follow each exercise to enable students to monitor their progress. No previous background in semantics is assumed, as students begin by discovering the value and fascination of the subject and then move through all key topics in the field, including sense and reference, simple logic, word meaning, and interpersonal meaning. New study guides and exercises have been added to the end of each unit (with online answer key) to help reinforce and test learning. A completely new unit on non-literal language and metaphor, plus updates throughout the text, significantly expand the scope of the original edition to bring it up-to-date with the modern teaching of semantics for introductory courses in linguistics as well as intermediate students.

The aim of the subject of study is to give a brief introduction to semantics and pragmatics. Semantics is the study of meaning. More precisely it is the study of the relation between linguistic expressions and their meanings. Pragmatics is the study of context. More precisely it is the study of the way context can influence our understanding of linguistic utterances. The term semantics simply means the study of meanings. The study explores how meaning in language is produced or created. Semantics not only concentrates on how words express meaning but also on how words, phrases and sentences come together to make meaning in language. To start with, you will be motivated to focus on the nature and scope of semantics. Hence, here in this unit, you will be introduced to the concept and definition semantics, brief history of semantics, semantics and other disciplines, major concern of semantics, and the different approaches to the study of semantics. The symbols employed in language must be patterned in a systematic way. You have been already informed that language is organized at four principal levels – sounds (i.e. Phonetics/phonology), words (i.e. Morphology), sentences (i.e. syntax) and meaning (i.e. semantics). Phonology and syntax are concerned with the expressive power of language while semantics studies the meaning of what has been expressed. Knowledge of grammar is an aspect of the innate cognitive ability of human beings. The power of interpretation complements that innate ability. Interpretation is an aspect of semantics. Therefore, language acquisition or learning includes not only the knowledge of the organization of sounds and structures, but also how to associate meaning to the structures. Semantics can, therefore, be characterized as the scientific study of meaning in language. Semantics has been the subject of discourse for many years for philosophers and other scholars but later was introduced formally in literature in the late 1800’s. Hence, we have philosophical semantics and linguistic semantics among other varieties of semantics. Earlier scholars in philosophical semantics were interested in pointing out the relationship between linguistic expressions and identified phenomena in the external world. In the contemporary world, especially in the United States philosophical semantics has led to the development of semiotics. In some other parts of the world, and especially, France, the term semiology has been favoured. The reliance on logical calculations in issues of meaning has led to the development of logical semantics. However, for your purpose in this course, emphasis is on linguistic semantics, with our interest on the properties of natural languages. You shall see how this study relates to other disciplines. We shall also examine the real issues in linguistic semantics. Semantics has been identified as a component of linguistics. In its widest sense, linguistics is the scientific study of language. As a field of study, semantics is related to other disciplines. In semantics, we study the meaning of words and also how the meanings of words in a sentence are put together to form sentential meaning. Linguistic semantics studies meaning in a systematic and objective way. Since meaning as a concept is not static, a great deal of the idea of meaning still depends on the context and participants in the act of communication (discourse). There is a strong connection between meaning and pragmatics. The exchange or relay of information, message, attitude, feelings or values from one person to another contributes to the interpretation of meaning. This is done mainly by the use of language. It is often expressed that language is a system which uses a set of symbols agreed upon by a group to communicate their ideas or message or information. These symbols can be spoken or written, expressed as gestures or drawings. Depending upon the focus of study, semantics can be compartmentalized as lexical semantics, grammatical semantics, logical semantics and semantics in relation to pragmatics.

Introducing English Semantics is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to semantics, the study of meaning.

English Linguistics: Essentials, 2020

Semantics (Greek semain-= to mean) is the only branch of linguistics which is exclusively concerned with meaning. Semantics studies the meaning or meaning potential of various kinds of expressions: words, phrases, and sentences. This chapter is mainly confined to the study of word meaning (lexical semantics; lexicology). Research in lexical semantics addresses the following questions: ■ How can the concept of meaning be elucidated, including the relation between meaning and external reality? ■ What are appropriate tools for analysing and describing meanings? ■ What kinds of semantic structures exist within the vocabulary (or: lexicon) of a language?

Introducing English Semantics is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to semantics, the study of meaning.

Semantics is the study of meaning in language. This clear and comprehensive textbook is the most up-to-date introduction to the subject available for undergraduate students. It not only equips students with the concepts they need in order to understand the main aspects of semantics, it also introduces the styles of reasoning and argument which characterize the field. It contains more than 200 exercises and discussion questions designed to test and deepen readers' understanding. More inclusive than other textbooks, it clearly explains and contrasts different theoretical approaches, summarizes current debates, and provides helpful suggestions for further reading. Examples are drawn both from major world languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and English, and from minority ones. The book also highlights the connections between semantics and the wider study of human language in psychology, anthropology and linguistics itself.

The inextricable bound of semantics and grammar is discussed in this work. The present researcher delves into exploring several literatures on the interface, before discussing their interplay as an inextricable bound.

hashem alkhateeb, 2021

Semantics: A Coursebook, SECOND EDITION

Zain Legal Publications,Beirut,Lebanon, 2017

This book is an introductory course to semantics and pragmatics for foreign university students of English. It is a textbook that has been specially designed to meet the needs of students who encounter the study of meaning for the first time. The main objective is to acquaint students of English, as a foreign language, with background information, basic ideas and concepts about the study of the two areas of meaning (semantics and pragmatics) with an edutaining flavour. In writing this book, we have tried to adopt the same approach and strategies used in writing the first textbook (Linguistics) for foreign university students of English. The approach is communicatively and interactively oriented. It is based on edutainment in that it educates and entertains as the same time. It employs a variety of strategies and techniques that depend on brainstorming, group work, discussion groups, video and image watching, report writing, all of which are presented in the Hintsections and Exercises sections. The book has also been designed to make the students’ learning task easier, and more beneficial and interesting. This is done by splitting the main topics into smaller manageable subtopics, in addition to simplicity of expression, straightforward style, clarity of presentation and comprehensive coverage of fundamental semantic and pragmatic issues and concepts. To put all these considerations into practical application, the strategies previously mentioned have been employed throughout the book. These aim at making the book easy to follow and handle, and make the study of meaning an interesting thing rather than boring, especially for students, and other readers who want to use it on their own as part of self-study. Vertically, each chapter begins with the Starter Section, followed by the Hint Section, the basic material to be delivered in the chapter, then the Reminder Section and ends with the Study Section. The Starter introduces the basic topics and terms to be presented in the chapter as headlines. The purpose behind this section is to direct the students' attention to what is to be dealt with in the chapter. The Hint is a two-fold activity. It is either a picture or a short video. But the two have one purpose in common; they function as a brainstorming stimulus for students to be actively and indirectly involved in the material to be presented later. Here students are required to watch the picture (in the figure) or the video and answer the relevant questions. The pictures and videos intend to prepare students for active involvement in the subject, but in an entertaining and easy manner by means of the information displayed on the picture or the video. These two means challenge the students’ ability to recall, observe, analyse, synthesize and infer to get at the correct answer. The Reminder, which comes at the end, is a summary of the main points and basic terms introduced in the chapter. It has been devised to help students have a brief account of the subject through skimming. The Study Section, which comes after the Reminder, is divided into two main parts; questions and exercises. The questions aim at checking the students' knowledge and understanding of the main ideas and important terms presented in the chapter. The exercises aim at developing the students' knowledge and giving them more practice to arouse their awareness of semantics and pragmatics. Horizontally, the book is divided into two parts. Part One: Semantics, which is supposed to be covered in the first semester, includes five chapters; Introduction (Chapter 1), Basic Terms (Chapter 2), Lexical Relations (Chapter 3), Semantic Concepts (Chapter 4), Multi-Word Chunks and Meaning (Chapter 5). Part Two: Pragmatics, which is to be covered in the second semester, also includes five chapters; Introduction (Chapter 6), Basic Terms (Chapter 7), Cooperation and Communication (Chapter 8), Speech Acts and Communication (Chapter 9) and Politeness and Interaction (Chapter 10). Last but not least, the book has been supplemented with PowerPoint Presentations covering its ten chapters. The purpose behind this is to provide both the teacher and students with a useful and entertaining tool to the study of meaning, which has always been looked upon (by most students) as a difficult and boring subject.