What is semantics?

Page 1

Still don’t get it Don´t worry, here you are this video in order to help you


An utterance is a spoken word or string of spoken words. At the simplest level, to utter is simply to say a word with no particular forethought or intention to communicate a meaning.

The characteristics of utterance are: •It is spoken •Physical

event

•May

be grammatical or not (REMEMBER, utterances do not focus on the grammatical aspect)

•Meaningful or meaningless •By specific person (in particular accent) •By specific time or on particular occasion •A piece of language (a single phrase or even a single word)


Proposition

The state of affairs typically involves persons or things referred to by expressions in the sentence and the situation or action they are involved in. In uttering a declarative sentence a speaker typically asserts a proposition.It contains predicate(Aspect of entity, quality, state, activity, relation with other entity/ things) +Argument(entity,some sort of thing


Rule:The notion of truth can be used to decide whether two sentences express different propositions. Thus if there is any conceivable set of circumstances in which one sentence is true, while the other is false, we can be sure that they express different propositions. True propositions correspond to facts, in the ordinary sense of the word fact. False propositions do not correspond to facts. Example In the present-day world, a)

Is it a fact that there are lions in Africa? Yes / No

b)

Is the proposition that there are lions in Africa a true proposition? Yes / No

c)

Is it a fact that the state of Arkansas is uninhabited by human beings? Yes / No

d)

Is the proposition that the state of Arkansas is uninhabited by human beings true? Yes / No


Sentences


Phrases

A phrase is a group of words that stand together as a single unit, typically as part of a clause or a sentence. A phrase does not contain a subject and verb and, consequently, cannot convey a complete thought. A phrase contrasts with a clause. A clause does contain a subject and verb, and it can convey a complete idea. Here Are Some Examples of Phrases Here are some examples of phrases in a well-known quote by Shirley Temple: •

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Shirley Temple)

(This phrase acts like a noun. It is the direct object of the verb stopped. This phrase is a gerund phrase.) •

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.


(This phrase acts like a noun. It is the subject of the adverbial clause when my mother took me to see him in a department store.) •

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.

(This phrase acts like a noun. It is the object of the preposition for.) •

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.

(This phrase acts like an adverb. It tells us where the activity took place. It is an adverb of place.)


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.