Semasiology. Two trends in semasiology. Word-meaning. Referential and functional approaches to meaning. Types of meaning

The literal meaning of the term “lexicology” is “the science of the word”. The term “word” devotes the basic unit of a language resulting from the association of a particular meaning with a particular group of sounds capable of a particular grammatical employment. A word therefore possesses meaning. The branch of lexicology that is devoted to the study of meaning is known as semasiology. (from Greek semasia (signification) sema-sign).

Two trends in semasiology:

· According to a Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, meaning is relation between the object (notion) named and the name itself.

· Descriptive linguistic of the Bloomfieldian (American linguist) trend defines meaning as the situation in which the word is uttered.

Referential approach distinguishes among the 3 components closely connected with meaning: the sound-form of the linguistic sign, the concept underling the sound-form and the referent (part or aspect of reality to which linguistic sign refers.

The sound form is connected with our concept of the bird which it denotes and through it with the referent – the actual bird.

Criticism:

· Meaning here comprises the interrelation of linguistic signs with categories and phenomena outside the scope of language.

· Linguist operates with subjective mental processes. The result of semantic investigation depends on intuition.

Functional approach: meaning of a linguistic unit may be studded only through its relation to other linguistic units and not through its relation to either concept or referent.

e.g. “to move” and “movement” are different because these words function in speak differently, they occupy different position in relation to other words. “To move” can be followed by a noun (to move a chair) and preceded by a pronoun (we move). “Movement” may be followed by a preposition (movement at a car), preceded by an adjective (slow movement).

The position of a word in relation to other words is called “distribution” of the word. As the distribution of the words “move” and “movement” is different we conclude that they belong to different classes of words and their meanings are different. The same is true of the different meaning of one and the same word. We analyze the context and conclude the meaning (to take the tram – to take to somebody). Context is the minimum stretch of speech necessary and sufficient to determine which of the possible meanings of a polysemantic word is used. Meaning is understood as the function of a linguistic unit. The referential and functional approaches both should be used to complement each other.

Types of meaning: word-meaning is made up of various components.

· Grammatical meaning: an expression in speech of relationship between words.

e.g. the tense meaning in the word-forms of the verbs “asked”, “thought”, “walked”.

The case meaning in the word-forms of nouns (girl’s, boy’s, etc). meaning of plurality which is found in the word-forms (girls, joys, tables).

· Lexical meaning: the word-forms go, goes, went, going, gone possess different grammatical meaning of tense, person. But in each form we find one and the same semantic component denoting the process of movement – lexical meaning – the meaning proper to the given linguistic unit in all its forms distributions.

Lexical meaning includes denotational (a combination of semantic components “semes” – smallest units of meaning. “to kill”=to cause the death of smb. Semantic components: cause-death) (referential) meaning – makes communication possible, expresses the notional content of a word. Words denote things or concepts. Denotational meaning is essentially the same in all speakers of a language. Connotational meaning includes te emotive change and the stylistic value of the word. Within the connotations of a word we distinguish its capacity to evoke or direct by express: a) emotion (daddy as compared to father), b) evaluation (clique as compared with group), c) intensity (adore as compared to love) – all are emotive charge of a word.

The capacity of a word to express stylistic colouring is called its stylistic value. Stylistically word can be subdivided into literary or bookish, neutral and colloquial.

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