5. The concept and definition of meaning in

5. The concept and definition of meaning in linguistic tradition. Meaning and use. LOGO

Meaning v. Meaning is linguistic concept whereas the denoted object or the referent is beyond the scope of language. We can denote one and the same object by more than one word of a different meaning. For instance, in a speech situation an apple can be denoted by the words apple, fruit, something, this, etc. as all of these words may have the same referent. www. themegallery. com Company Name

v. M. A. K. Halliday describes 'meaning' as "a function of the description at all levels“ (Halliday, 1956, p. 179). www. themegallery. com Company Name

v. J. R. Firth believes that "meaning is function in a context… Meaning, then, we use for the whole complex of functions which linguistic form may have" (Firth, 1957). www. themegallery. com Company Name

v. St. Ullmann defines 'meaning' as "a reciprocal relation between name and sense, which enables them to call up one another (Ullmann, 1964, part I). www. themegallery. com Company Name

v. According to C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards "meaning is a relation in the mind between the facts and events on the one hand the symbols or words you use to refer to them" (Ogden, Richarc, 1972). www. themegallery. com Company Name

Meaning v. Lexical meaning is the specific kind 'content' produced (or engendered) –by the reverberation of objective reality in the human consciousness which constitutes the inner (semantic) structure of linguistic units with respect to which their material form is the outer (or phonetic) structure. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Meaning as a linguistic notion There are three main categories of definitions of meaning which may be referred to as: www. themegallery. com Company Name

vreferential or analytical definitions of meaning www. themegallery. com Company Name

vfunctional or contextual definitions of meaning www. themegallery. com Company Name

voperational or information- oriented definitions of meaning www. themegallery. com Company Name

Referential or Analytical Definitions of Meaning v. The essential characteristic of the referential approach is that it distinguishes between the three components closely connected with meaning v. They are: www. themegallery. com Company Name

vthe sound-form of the linguistic sign www. themegallery. com Company Name

vthe concept underlying this sound-form www. themegallery. com Company Name

vthe referent, i. e. the part or aspect of reality to which the linguistic sign refers www. themegallery. com Company Name

Examples v. The sentence “ I like to read long novels “ does not express single notion , it represents composites of notions specifying the relations between them. v“That’s very clever “ may mean different sorts of things including that it is not clever at all. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Functional or Contextual Definitions of Meaning v The functional approach to meaning maintains that the meaning of a linguistic unit can be studied only through its relation to other linguistic units. v To get a better insight in to the semantics of a word it is necessary to analyze as many contexts in which it is realized as possible. v The functional approach to meaning is important because it emphasizes the fact that words are seldom if ever used in isolation & thus the meaning of a word is revealed only when it is realized in a context. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Examples v. According to the given approach the meanings of the words to move and movement are different because these word function in speech differently, i. e. occupy different positions in relation to other words. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Operational or Information-Oriented Definitions of Meaning v They are centered on defining meaning through its role in the process of communication. Thus, this approach studies words in action and is more interested in how meaning works than in what it is. v Thus, the sentence John came at 6 o’ clock besides the direct meaning may imply that John “was 2 hours late; failed to keep his promise; was punctual as usual, etc ”. v Usage - the way in which words and phrases are actually used (as in a particular form or sense) in a language community. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Usual meaning v Usual meaning of the word is the meaning relating to the standard use. v. Example: v. Ambulance - a vehicle for taking people to hospital. (Meaning) v. Ambulance is required to operate in all weather conditions. (Usage) www. themegallery. com Company Name

Occasional meaning v. In O. S. Akhmanova's "Dictionary of Linguistic Terms" the term 'occasional meaning' as opposed to 'usual meaning' seems to refer to very much the same aspect in the study of meaning. It must be mentioned, however, that 'occasional meaning' is mostly confined to departures from the generally accepted usage as well as to the emotional- expressive-evaluative overtones the word acquires in a given context. www. themegallery. com Company Name

Examples v Dementor—в данном окказионализме, по всей видимости, соединены основы dement и tormentor, в результате чего мы получаем значение «мучитель, который сводит с ума» , v Wizengamot— в данном слове объединены слова wizard и witenagemot (совет старейшин при короле англо–саксов), что как окказионализм значит «совет старейших волшебников» , v to be splinched — окказионализм образован при соединении основ split и inch, приобретая значение «отделение части от чего-либо» . www. themegallery. com Company Name

The importance of differentiating the meaning from usage v. Meanings are fixed and common to all people, who know the language system. v The usage is only a possible application of one of the meanings of a polysemantic word, sometimes very individual, sometimes more or less familiar.

Examples Light: 1) very bright because of light from the sun 2) pale in colour, not dark 3) not weighing much, or weighing less than you expect Example: I want to get home while it's still light. www. themegallery. com Company Name