Semantics

The concept of reference within semantics is described as when ‘…speakers indicate which things in the world are being talked about’ (Hurford et al: 2007). In semantics, reference is important as it examines language through the meaning we attach words. Notions such as variable and constant reference are especially important. Other notions that are taken into account are opaque context and equative sentences. When speakers indicate what they are talking about through different expressions this information becomes important, as it becomes part of your wider knowledge of language. Finally, Ogden and Richards (1965) described the relationship between concept and object as ‘reference’; this is the most fitting description. Moreover, Semantic theory studies the meaning of language. Finnegan (1994) argued that one purpose of semantics is to differentiate between the different ways in which language ‘means’. There are many different types of referents: abstract, non-abstract, specific, non-specific, definite and non-definite. However, reference it is best described as ‘...the way speakers and hearers use…

Semantic Priming Semantic priming is a common priming paradigm in many monolingual studies (Bleasdale, 1987; Ferrand & New, 2003; Neely et al., 1989; Perea & Rosa, 2002a, 2002b; Hutchison, 2003; Lucas, 2000; Neely, 1991), but is less common in cross-language priming (Duyck, 2005; Kroll & Stewart, 1990; Schoonbaert et al., 2007; Chen & Ng, 1989; de Groot & Nas, 1991; Keatley et al. 1994; Schwanenflugel & Rey 1986; Basnight-Brown & Altarriba, 2007). Semantic priming studies offer an investigation…

The semantic memory refers to the area in the brain that allows one to be able to process ideas and concepts that are not typically associated with personal experiences. Semantic memory includes general knowledge, such as colors, sounds of letters and other common facts obtained over the span of the person’s life. For instance, semantic memory allows a person to store and retrieve information about what a cat is or to name an object when asked. Sentence Verification is an example of semantic…

Semantics is the study of how we construct and understand the meanings of words and groups of words (Denham and Lobeck, 2013). 1. SEMANTIC FIELDS AND HYPONYYM Semantic fields are classifications of words associated with their meanings (Denham & Lobeck, 2013). Since we are analyzing 2 different car advertisements, so the semantic field could possibly be CARS’ BRAND NAME. Under the field, we have two hyponyms which are Renault and Toyota. A hyponym is a word whose meaning is included, or…

Overview of the Semantic Gap - What is it? The semantic gap is the difference between human perception of observations, activities, and objects and their computational or machine-based representations(). It is a split between high level features, or semantic information, and low-level features, of which there are many types. High-level features can include keywords, concepts, categories, or ontologies - virtually all things that lead to determining meanings of text-based information and…

word finding, grammatical tense, etc) for children with SLI. The current study seeks to extend previous research in a broader context and aims to address the question; does phonological awareness intervention improve expressive language deficits in children with specific language impairment (SLI) better than semantic based intervention? To answer this question, 75 children ranging in age from five to seven years of age will receive randomized type of intervention (phonological awareness of…

The simple present and the present progressive encode semantic meaning through a combination of devices. From general to specific, these semantic devices are: (a) nature of the specific verbal aspect, (b) inherent semantic properties of the verb, (c) aspectual classes of the verb, and (d) core meanings of the verb predicate. Below is the essence of each semantic device, presented in the order just mentioned. Nature of Verbal Aspect. Exploration of the nature of verbal aspect can be traced back…

Holcomb, & Grainger, 2009). Semantic and translation priming studies utilizing vocabulary from two languages offer an informative perspective into these processing systems of second language in the mind of a bilingual or a second language learner. The findings in this type of research provide important insights to help implement teaching methods and facilitate learning as more students are expected to learn a second language as part of their required curriculum, and as more children…

There are five parts of language that were used to analyze Jacob and Rachel in the video. The five parts of language are semantics, pragmatics, morphology, phonology, and syntax. All of these are different types of spoken language. Let’s take a closer look at each part of language. Semantics deals with the content and meaning of expressions (Thomason, 1996). The book states that semantics is a part of language that is concerned with rules governing the meaning and the content of words or units…

Listening: 42%, meaning that Sarah Lee scored equal to or above 42% of her peers during this test. This portion of the test was fairly consistent with other children her age; therefore I can conclude that Sarah Lee most likely does not have issues with listening.  Organizing: 7%, meaning that Sarah Lee scored at or below 93% of the children her age that took this test, rending her score significantly low.  Speaking: 9%, meaning that Sarah Lee scored at or below 91% of the children her age…