The Science of Language

Study guide for week 8: The goals for this week are to: 1) become familiar with the distinction between semantics and pragmatics; 2) distinguish between lexical and combinatorial semantics; 3) understand the role that meaning relations like entailment, paraphrase, and contradiction play in determining semantic content; 4) learn how semantics is related to the objects in the world.

Readings:
Language Files: 7.1-7.4; 8.1-8.5
Pinker: none this week.

Exercises from the text:
Language Files: File 7.4, ex. 1-2; 8.2, ex. 1-4; 8.3, ex. 1-4; 8.4, ex. 1.

Additional exercises:
1. Three semantic relations among sentences were discussed in the Language Files: paraphrase, entailment and contradiction. Which of these relations is exemplified in the following pairs of sentences?

a. I saw terry at the anniversary party.
b. It was Terry I saw at the anniversary party.

c. Jules is Mary’s husband.
d. Mary is married.

e. My pet cobra likes the taste of chocolate fudge.
f. My pet cobra finds chocolate fudge tasty.

g. Vera is an only child.
h. Olga is Vera’s sister.

i. It is fifty miles to the nearest service station.
j. The nearest service station is fifty miles away.

k. My cousin Bryan teaches at the community college for a living.
l. By cousin Bryan is a teacher.

2. Examine the antonyms contained in the following song by Alanis Morrisette:
Hand In My Pocket
By: Alanis & Glen Ballard

I'm broke but I'm happy 


I'm poor but I'm kind 


I'm shore but I'm healthy, yeah

I'm high but I'm grounded 


I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed 


I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby

What it all comes down to


Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine


I've got one hand in my pocked 


And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I'm sober 


I'm young and I'm underpaid 


I'm tired but I'm working, yeah


I care but I'm restless


I'm here but I'm really gone 


I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

What it all comes down to


Is that everything's gonna be quite alright 


I've got one hand in my pocket


And the other one is flicking a cigarette 


What it all comes down to 


Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet


I've got one hand in my pocket 


And the other one is giving the peace sign

I'm free but I'm focused


I'm green but I'm wise


I'm hard but I'm friendly baby


I'm sad but I'm laughing


I'm brave but I'm chicken shit


I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

What it all boils down to 


Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet


I've got one hand in my pocket


And the other one is playing the piano 


What it all comes down to my friends 


Is that everything's just fine fine fine 


I've got one hand in my pocket 


And the other one is hailing a taxi cab... 


For each pair, describe what kind of antonym is being employed.

3. In the Language Files, the authors noted that it is necessary to distinguish between extension and intension. Describe the difference between the extension and intension of the following phrases.

a. The President of the United States
b. The King of France.
c. The Father of our Country.
d. The first President of the United States.
e. Women who have walked on the moon.
f. Santa Claus
g. The capital of Australia.

4. In class, we noted that at least some words have meanings that can be represented in terms of smaller semantic features. Four such words are dog, puppy, cat, kitten.

a. Attempt to provide the semantic features associated with each of these words.
b. How are the pairs dog-puppy and cat-kitten different from man-boy and woman-girl?
c. Try to provide semantic features for the words circle, silver, heavy and three.

Essential concepts:

predicate
argument
extension
intension
thematic role
antonym
synonym
hyponym
compositionality
truth value
semantic feature
idioms
literal/non-literal
pragmatics
performative
speech act
direct/indirect speech
Grician Maxims
discourse