🫶🏽Psychology of Language Unit 8 – Semantics and Pragmatics

Key Concepts in Semantics

• Semantics studies the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences in a language system
• Lexical semantics focuses on the meaning of individual words and the relationships between them (synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy)
• Compositional semantics examines how the meaning of complex expressions is derived from the meaning of their parts
  • Principle of compositionality states that the meaning of a complex expression is a function of the meanings of its parts and the way they are syntactically combined
• Truth-conditional semantics defines the meaning of a sentence in terms of the conditions under which it would be true
• Semantic roles describe the thematic relations between a predicate and its arguments (agent, patient, recipient)
• Semantic features are the basic components of meaning that distinguish words from one another (+/- animate, +/- human)
• Semantic fields are groups of words that are related in meaning and often share common semantic features (color terms, kinship terms)
• Semantic change refers to the ways in which the meanings of words can shift over time (broadening, narrowing, amelioration, pejoration)

Foundations of Pragmatics

• Pragmatics studies how context and social factors influence the interpretation of meaning in communication
• Context includes the linguistic context (surrounding words and sentences), situational context (physical setting, participants), and cultural context (shared knowledge, beliefs, and practices)
• Pragmatic competence is the ability to use language effectively in social interactions, taking into account the context and the goals of communication
• Gricean maxims are principles that guide cooperative communication (quality, quantity, relevance, manner)
  • Speakers are expected to provide truthful, informative, relevant, and clear contributions to the conversation
• Politeness strategies are linguistic devices used to maintain social harmony and avoid face-threatening acts (positive politeness, negative politeness)
• Deixis refers to linguistic expressions that are dependent on the context for their interpretation (personal pronouns, spatial terms, temporal terms)
• Presupposition is the background information that is assumed to be true by the speaker and is necessary for the utterance to be meaningful
• Implicature is the additional meaning that is conveyed beyond the literal meaning of the words, based on the context and the speaker's intentions

Theories of Meaning

• Referential theory holds that the meaning of a word is the object or concept it refers to in the world
• Ideational theory proposes that the meaning of a word is the mental representation or idea it evokes in the mind of the speaker or hearer
• Use theory emphasizes the role of social conventions and language use in determining meaning
  • Meaning is seen as a function of how words are used in particular contexts and speech communities
• Truth-conditional semantics defines the meaning of a sentence in terms of the conditions under which it would be true in the world
• Possible world semantics extends truth-conditional semantics by considering the truth value of a sentence in all possible worlds or states of affairs
• Prototype theory suggests that the meaning of a word is based on a central, typical example or prototype, with other members of the category being more or less similar to the prototype
• Conceptual metaphor theory argues that abstract concepts are understood in terms of more concrete, embodied experiences through metaphorical mappings
• Relevance theory proposes that the interpretation of an utterance is guided by the principle of relevance, which balances the cognitive effects and processing effort required

Context and Communication

• Context plays a crucial role in shaping the meaning and interpretation of language in communication
• Linguistic context refers to the surrounding words, phrases, and sentences that provide information about the meaning of a particular expression
• Situational context includes the physical setting, the participants, their roles and relationships, and the purpose of the communicative event
  • Meaning can vary depending on factors such as the formality of the situation, the power dynamics between speakers, and the shared goals of the interaction
• Cultural context encompasses the shared knowledge, beliefs, values, and practices of a speech community
  • Cultural norms and expectations influence the interpretation of language and the appropriateness of certain expressions or behaviors
• Common ground is the shared knowledge and assumptions that speakers rely on to communicate effectively and efficiently
• Contextual cues such as intonation, gestures, and facial expressions can provide additional information that guides the interpretation of meaning
• Misunderstandings can arise when there is a mismatch between the intended meaning of the speaker and the interpreted meaning of the hearer due to differences in context or background knowledge
• Successful communication requires the ability to adapt language use to the specific context and to make appropriate inferences based on contextual information

Language Interpretation

• Language interpretation involves the processes by which listeners or readers construct meaning from linguistic input
• Literal meaning is the basic, conventional meaning of words and sentences, independent of context
• Figurative meaning goes beyond the literal meaning and includes non-literal or metaphorical interpretations (idioms, metaphors, irony)
  • Figurative language often requires pragmatic inference and an understanding of the speaker's intentions
• Ambiguity occurs when a word, phrase, or sentence has multiple possible interpretations
  • Lexical ambiguity involves words with multiple meanings (homonymy, polysemy)
  • Structural ambiguity arises from different possible syntactic structures of a sentence
• Disambiguation is the process of resolving ambiguity and selecting the most appropriate interpretation based on the context
• Pragmatic inference is the process of deriving meaning that goes beyond the literal meaning of the words, based on the context and the speaker's intentions
• Relevance theory proposes that listeners interpret utterances by seeking the most relevant interpretation that yields the greatest cognitive effects for the least processing effort
• Mental models are cognitive representations that listeners construct to make sense of discourse, integrating linguistic information with background knowledge and inferences

Speech Acts and Implicature

• Speech acts are the actions that speakers perform through language, such as making statements, asking questions, giving orders, or making promises
• Locutionary act is the basic act of uttering a meaningful sentence
• Illocutionary act is the intended communicative function of the utterance, such as asserting, requesting, or promising
  • Illocutionary force indicates the type of speech act being performed and is often signaled by performative verbs or other linguistic devices
• Perlocutionary act refers to the actual effect or consequence of the utterance on the listener, such as persuading, frightening, or inspiring
• Felicity conditions are the necessary conditions for a speech act to be successfully performed, such as the speaker's sincerity and the appropriateness of the context
• Implicature is the additional meaning that is conveyed beyond the literal meaning of the words, based on the context and the speaker's intentions
• Conventional implicature is the meaning that is conventionally associated with certain words or expressions, independent of context (but, even, too)
• Conversational implicature arises from the assumption that speakers are following the Gricean maxims of cooperative communication
  • Listeners can infer additional meaning when speakers appear to violate or flout these maxims, as in the case of irony or indirect speech acts

Semantic-Pragmatic Interface

• The semantic-pragmatic interface refers to the interaction between the literal meaning of language (semantics) and the context-dependent meaning (pragmatics)
• Semantic meaning is the basic, conventional meaning of words and sentences, determined by the language system
• Pragmatic meaning is the meaning that arises from the use of language in context, taking into account the speaker's intentions and the social factors of the communicative situation
• Semantic and pragmatic meaning can align when the literal meaning and the intended meaning are the same
• Pragmatic enrichment occurs when the pragmatic meaning goes beyond the semantic meaning, adding additional information or implications
  • Scalar implicature is a type of pragmatic enrichment that arises when a speaker uses a weaker term on a scale (some, or), implying the negation of a stronger term (all, and)
• Pragmatic modulation refers to cases where the pragmatic meaning modifies or overrides the semantic meaning, as in the case of metaphor or irony
• Semantic constraints limit the possible pragmatic interpretations of an utterance, ensuring that the pragmatic meaning is compatible with the semantic meaning
• The interaction between semantics and pragmatics is crucial for understanding how meaning is constructed and interpreted in communication, and how speakers can convey and listeners can infer meaning beyond the literal level

Real-World Applications

• Understanding the principles of semantics and pragmatics has important real-world applications in various domains
• In language learning and teaching, a focus on semantics and pragmatics can help learners develop communicative competence and the ability to use language effectively in different contexts
  • Learners need to acquire not only the literal meanings of words and structures but also the pragmatic norms and strategies for using language appropriately in social interactions
• In natural language processing and artificial intelligence, modeling semantics and pragmatics is crucial for developing systems that can understand and generate human-like language
  • Semantic representations and reasoning are necessary for tasks such as information retrieval, question answering, and text summarization
  • Pragmatic knowledge is essential for building conversational agents and chatbots that can engage in context-appropriate and socially aware communication
• In translation and interpretation, an understanding of semantics and pragmatics is necessary for accurately conveying meaning across languages and cultures
  • Translators need to consider not only the semantic equivalence of words and phrases but also the pragmatic factors that shape meaning in the source and target languages
• In clinical linguistics and language disorders, a semantic-pragmatic perspective can inform the assessment and treatment of individuals with communication difficulties
  • Some disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, are characterized by challenges in understanding and using language in social contexts, which may be related to deficits in pragmatic skills
• In forensic linguistics and legal contexts, semantic and pragmatic analysis can be applied to the interpretation of laws, contracts, and witness testimonies
  • The precise meaning of legal terms and the pragmatic implications of language use can have significant consequences in legal proceedings
• In advertising and marketing, a knowledge of semantics and pragmatics can be used to craft persuasive and effective messages that resonate with the target audience
  • The choice of words, the use of figurative language, and the adaptation to the context and the audience's expectations can influence the impact of advertising campaigns
• In political discourse and public communication, an awareness of semantics and pragmatics can help speakers communicate their ideas more effectively and listeners interpret messages more critically
  • The strategic use of language, the framing of issues, and the management of implicatures can shape public opinion and influence political outcomes