SEMANTICS
The study of meaning in language is the focus of linguistics. Linguistic semantics is the study of how languages arrange and express their meanings. French linguist, Michel Bréal (1832-1915), is often considered the father of modern semantics because he created the term semantics, which is from the Greek word for a sign. Semantics is the meaning of symbols, words, and sentences. Our reading comprehension, our understanding, and our decisions are the result of semantics through our interpretations.
There are three different theories used in semantics, which are formal semantics, lexical semantics, and conceptual semantics. Formal semantics examines the larger link between language and reality, truth, and possibility using approaches from arithmetic, philosophy, and logic. Have you ever been requested by a teacher to utilize an “if… then” question? It dissects information to determine the underlying meaning or effect of occurrences.
Lexical semantics breaks down words and phrases within a line of text to discover their context-specific meaning. The internal semantic structure of words or the semantic interactions that occur inside the vocabulary is both addressed by lexical semantics. Particular nouns, verbs, adjectives, prefixes, root words, suffixes, or lengthier phrases like idioms are studied.
Lastly, conceptual semantics is the primary concept and form before contexts in our opinions and attitudes. Conceptual semantics allows for an analysis of connotation and denotation. The usual definition of a term is its denotation. Connotation, on the other hand, is concerned with the feeling elicited by a word. Connotation is generated from how you interpret the meaning of a word or sentence. As a result, semantics, and connotation are strongly intertwined.
The meaning of languages can be so complex. So, there are two different meanings to be distinguished in semantics. First, is the literal meaning, the real meaning of what you are saying. It expresses opinions and ideas in a precise manner, which is the most type of meaning we speak. This is also most often used for scientific writing, formal documents, etc. For example, “It’s the rainy season because it has rained for the past 3 days” means that the rainy season has begun because of the rain for the past 3 days.
Second, is the figurative meaning, which uses metaphors to depict certain meanings and deliver the messages strongly. Words or expressions used are different from the literal interpretation. It is often used for literature writing. For example, “She drowned her sorrows in alcohol” is an idiom that doesn’t mean that her sorrows are in alcohol, but it means that she is sad, so she drinks alcohol to relieve the sorrows.
Semantics is the branch of linguistics that concerns language and how humans comprehend meaning. Understanding the origin of meanings in the study of linguistics is very important. Though, it has always been one of the most complicated and often debated among philosophers. Philosophers have found this to be a particularly intriguing area as they discuss the essence of meaning, how we construct meaning, how we communicate meaning with others, and how meaning develops over time.
References
Blakely, S. (2022, April 4). What is semantics? Study.Com. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-semantics-definition-examples-quiz.html
Geeraerts, D. (2017). Lexical semantics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.29
Kittelstad, K. (n.d.). Examples of semantics: Meaning & types. Your Dictionary. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-semantics.html
Nordquist, R. (2020, May 13). An introduction to semantics. Thought.Co. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.thoughtco.com/semantics-linguistics-1692080