Chapter preview
There are two main fields within linguistics that study meaning. Semantics focuses on the literal meanings of words, phrases, and sentences; it is concerned with how grammatical processes build complex meanings out of simpler ones. Pragmatics focuses on the use of language in particular situations; it aims to explain how factors outside language contribute to both literal meaning and nonliteral meanings which speakers communicate using language. Most linguists who study meaning combine the study of semantics and pragmatics. While a semanticist is technically someone who studies semantics, in fact most semanticists investigate both semantics and pragmatics. In this chapter, we will first discuss semantics, and then pragmatics. To conclude the chapter, we will examine some foundational philosophical issues which are relevant to thinking about meaning and will discuss some of the different theoretical perspectives on meaning which are popular within linguistics today.
GOALS
The goals of this chapter are to:
explain the difference between speaker’s meaning and semantic meaning
introduce the complexity of lexical semantics and the basics of one way of thinking about lexical meaning
illustrate the role of the major grammatical constituents in semantic meaning: subjects and other arguments, predicates, modifiers, and quantifiers
describe the nature of intensional meaning and the basics of three intensional phenomena: modality, tense, and aspect
introduce four key pragmatic concepts: indexicality, presupposition, speech acts, and implicature
illustrate how speaker’s meaning is dependent on the context of use
allow students to apply key concepts to novel data
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of psychological and referential theories of meaning