Semantics: Language and Meaning

Group 6:Anis Amalina binti ZulkepliJoeseph Ho Zu XuNurul Adila binti Mohamad

Definition of Semantics

According to Oxford dictionary, Semantics is the branch of linguistics

and logic concerned with meaning.

Logical semantics, concerned

with matters such as sense

and reference and

presupposition and implication.

Lexical semantics,

concerned with the

analysis of word

meanings and relations

between them.

Word Meaning (Denotative/Connotative)

• Most words have multiple meanings, which are

categorized as either denotative or connotative.

• The denotation of a word is its explicit definition as

listed in a dictionary.

• Connotation of a word is the association or set of

associations that a word usually brings to mind

(figurative meaning).

Two kinds of Connotation

Personal connotation is the emotions or

feelings a word creates in you or in any one

individual.

General connotation is a mind picture

that is shared by a large group of people, it

doesn’t mean that everybody in the world

thinks the same way about something

Phrase and Sentence Meaning

A phrase is any "functional group" of a clause.

A clause is a verb, together with all its complements, so that the unit is grammatically correct. 

A sentence is one clause, or a group of clauses.

Sentence in general use describes both single and multiple clauses.

Lexical and Structural Meaning

Lexical Meaning

• Lexical meaning word is a word or more which has a

clear or certain meaning when we look up or find it in a

dictionary.

• When we classify, the lexical meaning word will be found

in:1. noun

2. verb

3. adverb

4.adjective

5. pronoun

Structural Meaning

• Structural meaning word is a word or more which

does not have a certain meaning in the dictionary. 

1. Preposition

2. Conjunction

3. Interjection

4. Articles (a, an and the)

Figurative Language

What is Figurative Language?

• Language that uses words or expressions with a

meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.

When a writer uses

literal language, he or

she is simply stating the

facts as they are.

Figurative language, in

comparison, uses

exaggerations or

alterations to make a

particular linguistic point.

• Figurative language is very common in poetry, but is also

used in prose and nonfiction writing as well.

Categories of Figurative Language

• There are eight categories of figurative language. They

are:

Imagery Simile Metaphor Idioms

AlliterationPersonificationOnomatopoeiaHyperbole

Imagery• A type of figurative language that appeals to the senses. The descriptions

can be about living things or inanimate objects.

• A good example is from Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud":

He doesn’t say “many” or “a lot of” daffodils, he uses the word “host.” That means a huge number of daffodils. Later, he personifies

the daffodils, and personification will be covered later on.

A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the

trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

• Another example is from “The Eagle” by Tennyson,

The hard consonant sounds add even more to the imagery here.

“He clasps the crag with crooked hands."

Simile• A simile compares two things using the words “like” and

“as.” Examples include:

• busy as a bee• clean as a whistle• brave as a lion• stand out like a sore thumb• as easy as shooting fish in a barrel• as dry as a bone• as funny as a barrel of monkeys• they fought like cats and dogs• like watching grass grow

Metaphor

• When you use a metaphor, you make a statement that doesn’t make

sense literally, like “time is a thief.” It only makes sense when the

similarities between the two things become apparent or someone

understands the connection.

• Examples include:• the world is my oyster

• you are a couch potato

• time is money

• he has a heart of stone

• America is a melting pot

• you are my sunshine

Idioms• An idiom is a combination of words that has a meaning

that is different from the meanings of the individual

words themselves.

• It can have a literal meaning in one situation and a

different idiomatic meaning in another situation.

• It is a phrase which does not always follow the normal

rules of meaning and grammar.

• To sit on the fence can literally mean that one is sitting on a

fence.

• I sat on the fence and watched the game.

• However, the idiomatic meaning of to sit on the fence

is that one is not making a clear choice regarding some issue.

• The politician sat on the fence and would not give his opinion

about the tax issue.

To sit on the fence

I sat on the fence

sat on the fence

to sat on the fence

Alliteration

• Alliteration is the easiest of the examples of figurative

language to spot. It is a repetition of the first consonant

sounds in several words. Some good examples are:

• and tongue twisters like:

wide-eyed and wondering while we wait for others to waken

Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought

better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Personification• Personification gives human characteristics to inanimate

objects, animals, or ideas. This can really affect the way

the reader imagines things. This is used in children’s

books, poetry, and fictional literature. Examples include:

• opportunity knocked on the door

• the sun greeted me this morning

• the sky was full of dancing stars

• the vines wove their fingers together to form a braid

• the radio stopped singing and stared at me

• the sun played hide and seek with the clouds

Onomatopoeia

• Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like

their meaning, or mimic sounds. They add a level of

fun and reality to writing. Here are some examples:

• the burning wood hissed and crackled

• the words: beep, whirr, click, whoosh, swish, zap, zing, ping,

clang, bong, hum, boom, munch, gobble, crunch, pow,

smash, wham, quack, meow, oink, and tweet.

Hyperbole• Hyperbole is an outrageous exaggeration that

emphasizes a point, and can be ridiculous or funny.

Hyperboles can be added to fiction to add color and

depth to a character. Examples are:

• You snore louder than a freight train.

• It's a slow burg. I spent a couple of weeks there one day.

• She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company.

• I had to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill.

• You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Phrasal Verb

What is phrasal verb?• A phrasal verb is a combination of:

• Verb + Preposition

• Verb + Adverb

• Verb + Adverb & Preposition

Types of Phrasal Verb

Intransitive

Non-separable Transitive

Optionally Separable Transitive

Obligatorily

Separable Transitive

Intransitive Phrasal Verb • Intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object (no

direct object).

Example:

1. He suddenly showed up. "SHOW UP" CANNOT TAKE AN

OBJECT

2. My car broke down on the interstate. (malfunction) 

3. What time did you get up today? (arise) 

4. The rain finally let up enough to take out the trash. (lessen) 

5. Our neighbor recently passed away. (die) 

6. The puppy woke up at the crack of dawn. (awake) 

Non-separable Transitive Phrasal Verb

• A transitive verb can be followed by an object and also indirect objects. (direct object & indirect object).

Example:

1. I made up the story. 

"STORY" IS THE OBJECT OF "MAKE UP“

2. You should bone up on English grammar. (review) 

3. He came across his missing sock in the dryer. (discover) 

4. My mom dropped by my house this afternoon. (visit) 

5. Most children look forward to Christmas morning. (anticipate) 

6. The cat puts up with the dog. (tolerate) 

Phrasal verbs Meaning Examples

  Direct object

Intransitive phrasal verbs

get up rise from bed I don't like to get up.

 

break down cease to function

He was late because his car broke down.

Transitive phrasal verbs

put off postpone We will have to put off

the meeting.

turn down refuse They turned down my offer.

Optionally Separable Transitive Phrasal Verb

• Phrasal verbs which also require objects, but the preposition functioning as a particle can follow either the verb or the direct object. 

The Dean will call off the meeting due to the weather. (cancel) The Dean will call the meeting off due to the weather.

Please hand out this brochure to new clients. (distribute) Please hand this brochure out to new clients.

My grandfather always mixes up the cousins. (confuse) My grandfather always mixes the cousins up. 

Obligatorily Separable Transitive Phrasal Verb

• Phrasal verbs become obligatorily separable phrasal verbs when the direct object is in the form of a pronoun meaning the preposition functioning as a particle must follow the pronoun functioning as the direct object.

Can you add up the bill? (total) Can you add the bill up? Can you add it up? *Can you add up it? (incorrect) 

That man ticked off that woman. (anger) That man ticked that woman off. That man ticked her off. *That man ticked off her. (incorrect)

The student looked up the word in the dictionary. (research) The student looked the word up in the dictionary. The student looked it up in the dictionary. *The student looked up it in the dictionary. (incorrect)

Reference• http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/phrasaldictiona

ry.html• http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100119

214710AAN3i9s• http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-phrasal-verb

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