Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning in language, encompassing both natural languages, like English, and artificial languages used in computer programming. The term originates from the Greek word "sēmainō," meaning "to signify," and it focuses on the relationship between signifiers—words and phrases—and their meanings. This field has significant historical roots in philosophy, with key contributors such as Richard Montague, Noam Chomsky, and Donald Davidson shaping its development throughout the twentieth century. Semantics examines not only what words denote but also their connotations, implications, and the ways meanings can change over time. It overlaps with semiotics, which explores the relationship between signs and what they represent.
In addition to its linguistic aspects, semantics plays a crucial role in logic and mathematics, with formal semantics and truth-conditional semantics among its technical subfields. These theories analyze language through mathematical frameworks, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of semantic study. In the realm of computer science, semantics is essential for understanding how programming languages function, focusing on the execution of commands and the meaning derived from programming syntax. As an evolving field, semantics continues to be crucial for understanding communication in both human and machine contexts, reflecting the complexity of meaning itself.
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Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning in language, whether natural (such as English) or artificial (such as that used in computer programming). Stemming from the Greek word sēmainō, which roughly translates as “to signify,” semantics essentially examines the words and phrases that compose a language—referred to as “signifiers”—in terms of what they denote, or mean.
Key figures in twentieth-century semantics, when the field grew rapidly, include Richard Montague, Noam Chomsky, and Donald Davidson. Throughout the twentieth century, semantics was most prominently aligned with philosophy, but it is a field of study that also crosses over into mathematics, logic, computer science, and literary theory.
Overview
Beyond its general meaning, semantics, in philosophical circles, has several overlapping but distinct implications. Semiotics, a synonym of semantics, explores the basic causal relationship between words and symbols (or “signs”) and what they denote. However, semantics also encompasses changes in the meaning of words and phrases over historical periods of time, and the term can be used to describe not only what words denote but also what they connote, or imply. Furthermore, semantics may also indicate language used to sway opinion, such as that employed in an advertising campaign.
Despite its generalized definition and prevalence as a term in modern society, semantics can be a highly technical, often misunderstood field of linguistic study. Several of the theories that form the backbone of the discipline are rooted in logic and mathematics. For example, formal semantics, most often associated with Montague, employs a mathematical framework to dissect the construction of linguistic expression, using notation to diagram the elements of language. Truth-conditional semantics, pioneered by Davidson, is another complex subfield of semantics that asserts that the meaning of a sentence or phrase is linked to—is in fact the same as—its truthfulness. These and other similar theories, such as lexical semantics, illustrate the strong bond among the fields of linguistics, logic, and mathematics.
In the world of technology, semantics has become a key component of computer programming, sharing some theoretical similarities with linguistic semantics. Computer-science semantics also deals with the properties of language, albeit artificial ones that focus on programming. Specifically, semantics studies the process by which a computer language is executed. Thus, it has to do with executable commands—if the language used to process a command is incorrect, the command will not work for the specific software or hardware. Whether in linguistics or computer programming, semantics deals with deriving meaning from a string of words, symbols, or phrases.
A highly complex, interdisciplinary field of academic study, semantics is continually evolving, as new linguistic theories emerge about the connection between words and their meanings.
Bibliography
Davis, Steven, and Brendan S. Gillon. Semantics: A Reader. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.
Kearns, Kate. Semantics. 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave, 2011. Print.
Li, Juanzi. Semantic Web and Web Science. New York: Springer, 2013. Digital file.
Löbner, Sebastian. Understanding Semantics. New York: Routledge, 2013. Digital file.
Nielson, Hanne Riis, and Flemming Nielson. Semantics with Applications: A Formal Introduction. New York: Wiley, 1992. Print.
Portner, Paul, Klaus von Heusinger, and Claudia Maienborn. Semantics: An International Handbook of Natural Language Meaning. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2013. Digital file.
Saeed, John I. Semantics. 4th ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2015. Print.
Zimmermann, Thomas Ede, and Wolfgang Sternefeld. Introduction to Semantics: An Essential Guide to the Composition of Meaning. Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2013. Print.