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Lesson 1 - WHAT IS SEMANTICS ABOUT?
Linguistics has three main branches: Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics.
Syntax is the study of grammar (phonology, morphology, syntax and textual grammar)
Semantics and pragmatics deal with meaning.
SEMANTICS is the study of MEANING in LANGUAGE. (i.e what language means) (Hurford, Heasley, and Smith, 2007, p.1)
PRAGMATICS considers the MEANING in SOCIAL CONTEXTS and the ways people produce and comprehend MEANINGS through language. (i.e what people mean by the
language they use).
Notes: Semantics is context-free. On the other hand, pragmatics is context-dependent.
Ex 1: Peter: “Coming down to the pub tonight?”
Bill: “I‟ve got to finish a piece of work .”
The semantic meaning: Bill‟s reply just informs Peter he has a piece of work to finish.
The pragmatic meaning: Bill‟s reply will normally be taken to indicate that he is not free to go to the pub, even though he does not actually say that.
Ex 2: “There‟s a new Korean restaurant on Vo Thi Sau Street”
The semantic meaning: The speaker simply informs the hearer of the new Korean restaurant on Vo Thi Sau Street.
The pragmatic meaning: The speaker suggests trying that new restaurant.
SENTENCE MEANING (or WORD MEANING) is what a sentence (or word) means, i.e. what it counts as the equivalent of in the language concerned.
SPEAKER MEANING is what a speaker means (i.e. intends to convey) when he uses a piece of language. (Hurford, Heasley, and Smith, 2007, p.3)