We often communicate verbal messages somewhat unconsciously, or with a certain unawareness. Other times, we can be acutely aware of exactly how we formulate a phrase, with a specific goal in mind. Regardless of motive or awareness, Paul Grice (1975) developed a principle of conversation ( 'Cooperative Principle') in which he claims that in order to effectively communicate, both speaker and … [Read more...]
Semantics: Thematic Roles
This is an introductory level tutorial, which only addresses the relationship between a verb and its NP arguments, including those found as object of an obligatory prepositional phrase. The explanations of the examples apply to Standard English. Semantics: Thematic Roles Intuition Human beings possess an innate ability to determine whether or not a sentence or phrase is grammatical. These … [Read more...]
More on Semantics
Semantics - The Study of Meanings That Are Unconsciously Understood Semantics is the study of meaning in terms of what speakers unconsciously know prescriptively (what language critics invoke during disagreements over word meaning and sentence interpretation) and descriptively (the way in which word and sentence meaning are encoded in a native language as part of mental grammar). Meaning is … [Read more...]
Examples of Thematic Roles
Below is a brief overview of thematic roles with examples. Agent – the argument that carries out the action of a verb Jack kissed Jill. Experiencer - the argument that undergoes an emotion or perception with the senses Jill was tired of being kissed. Theme – the argument that undergoes the action of a verb Jill pushed Jack down the hill. Benefactive/recipient – the argument that receives … [Read more...]
An Introduction to Semantics
Semantics covers a very broad list of topics dealing mainly with meaning of and the relationships between words. Most introductory linguistics courses focus on three basic areas: lexical semantics (word meaning and relatedness), phrasal or sentential semantics (sentential meaning and relatedness), and pragmatics (meaning in the context of discourse). Lexical Semantics Semantic Features Lexical … [Read more...]