Overview
Syntax is the skeleton; Semantics is the flesh. It’s the study of what words and sentences actually mean.
Core Idea
Sense vs. Reference (Frege):
- Reference: The thing in the world the word points to. “The Morning Star” and “The Evening Star” both refer to Venus.
- Sense: The way the word presents that thing. They have different senses (one implies morning, one evening).
Formal Definition (if applicable)
Truth-Conditional Semantics: To know the meaning of a sentence is to know the conditions under which it would be true. “Snow is white” is true iff snow is white.
Intuition
- Synonymy: Same meaning (Big/Large).
- Antonymy: Opposite meaning (Hot/Cold).
- Hyponymy: Specific to General (Rose is a hyponym of Flower).
Examples
- Polysemy: One word, related meanings. “Head” (body part) and “Head” (of a department).
- Homonymy: One word, unrelated meanings. “Bank” (river) and “Bank” (money).
- Metaphor: “Time is money.” Mapping one domain to another.
Common Misconceptions
- “Dictionaries define meaning.” (Dictionaries just record usage. Meaning is in the minds of speakers).
- “Etymology is meaning.” (The history of a word doesn’t tell you its current meaning. “Decimate” used to mean kill 1 in 10; now it means destroy).
Related Concepts
- Compositionality: The meaning of the whole is the sum of the parts. (Red + Ball = Red Ball).
- Prototype Theory: A robin is a “better” bird than a penguin. We think in prototypes, not strict definitions.
Applications
- Search Engines: Understanding what you are looking for, not just matching keywords.
- Law: Interpreting the meaning of statutes.
Criticism / Limitations
Context matters. “It’s cold in here” might mean “Close the window,” not just a statement about temperature. That’s Pragmatics.
Further Reading
- Saeed, Semantics
- Lakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By