Sentential Semantics Deny A. Kwary Airlangga University
Sentential relations (1) Paraphrase: Two sentences that can have the same meaning. a. The police chased the burglar & The burglar was chased by the police. b. Paul bought a car from Sue & Sue sold a car to Paul
Sentential Relations (2) Entailment: a relation in which the truth of one sentence necessarily implies the truth of another. Examples of asymmetrical entailment. a. The park wardens killed the tiger. & The tiger is dead. b. Robin is a man & Robin is human
Sentential Relations (3) CContradiction: When two sentences cannot both be true. a. Charles is a bachelor. b. Charles is married.
Exercise #3, pp
Metaphor: The understanding of one concept in terms of another Happy or Sad? 1. I’m feeling up Happy 2. Her spirits sank Sad 3. That boosted my spirits Happy 4. The height of ecstacy Happy 5. The depths of misery Sad 6. He fell into a depression Sad Emotions: Happy is Up; Sad is down
Idioms Two central features of idioms: 1.The meaning of the idiomatic expression cannot be deduced by the examining the meanings of its parts. 2.The expression is fixed both grammatically and lexically. For example: Put a sock in it = ‘stop talking’
Can you identify the meanings of the following idioms? 1.Ring a bell. It sounds familiar to you / You have heard it before 2.By word of mouth. In a spoken form. 3.On the house. Free for the customers. 4.Hot spot a.A place of political danger. b.A lively nightclub. c.An area on the screen which can be clicked on to start an operation such as loading a file. d.An area where you can get connected to the Internet through a wireless network.
The Cooperative Principles: Maxims of Conversations (Grice, 1989) Name of Maxim Description of Maxim QuantitySay neither more nor less than the discourse requires RelevanceBe relevant MannerBe brief and orderly; avoid ambiguity and obscurity QualityDo not lie; do not make unsupported claims
Examples: 1. I’m a multimillionaire (Actually, I’m penniless.) Violated maxim: Quality Explanation: The speaker has failed to tell the truth. 2. A: When am I going to get back the money I lent you? B: Boy, it’s hot in here! Violated maxim: Relevance Explanation: B’s answer is not related to A’s question. 3. A: What should I do to get rid of this headache, Doctor? B: Take some medicine. Violated maxim: Quantity Explanation: B has not provided enough information.
Exercises 1. Don’t be silly. I love working 80 hours a week with no vacation. Quality 2. A: Excuse me–how much is this screwdriver? B: $9.95. The saw is $39.50, and the power drill there on the table is $ Relevance 3. A: What’s playing at the Rialto tonight? B: A film you haven’t seen. Quantity 4. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D in 1986, his B.A. in 1980, and his M.A. in Manner
Speakers sometimes deliberately violate the rules of ordinary conversation to achieve certain ends Example: A: Would you like to go out with Andrea? B: Is the Pope Catholic? Violated maxim: Relevance Motivation: B is being humorous. By replying with a question whose answer is obvious, he is implying that the answer to A’s question is equally obvious: Yes!
Exercises: 1. A: I’ll pay you back in full next week, I promise. B: Sure, and pigs will fly and fish will sing. Violated maxim: Relevance Motivation: B’s response implies sarcastically that he does not believe A. 2. A: What are the three most important things in real estate? B: Location, location, and location. Violated maxim: Quantity Motivation: To emphasize the overwhelming importance of location
3. A: So tell me, do you like what I did to my hair? B: Er…what’s on TV tonight? Violated maxim: Relevance Motivation: B does not like A’s hairstyle, so he changed the subject. 4. A: How can I develop a great body like yours? B: Choose your parents carefully. Violated maxim: Quality Motivation: Indirectly saying that it is impossible, because it’s all in the genes
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