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You may have heard the expression ‘that’s just semantics', but what does semantics actually mean? What is lexis in the English Language? In this article, we will discuss two terms: lexis and semantics, along with examples of other related concepts, such as lexemes and semantic fields.
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenYou may have heard the expression ‘that’s just semantics', but what does semantics actually mean? What is lexis in the English Language? In this article, we will discuss two terms: lexis and semantics, along with examples of other related concepts, such as lexemes and semantic fields.
Lexis is from the Greek word lexis which means 'word'. Lexis is a term in the English language that refers to the words of a language. A family of other words are related to this base word:
We can categorise lexis in the English language based on several features, such as levels of formality and the user's background (occupational register, sociolect, and dialect).
Take a look at the examples below and label each sentence with slang, colloquialisms, and formal language.
If your answers are: 1. formal language, 2. colloquialisms, and 3. slang, you're correct.
The level of formality is defined by how individuals vary the vocabulary, based in turn on the audience, purpose, and contextual factors. You will (either consciously or unconsciously) adjust the words that you use when you speak with your friends or your teacher, at a job interview, on a romantic date, or write academic essays, or notes for your flatmates.
Levels of formality can be divided into several groups:
Lexis in informal English Language can be divided into two ways:
Slang: The language of everyday conversation that usually fades away over time. The 'slang definition' is often different from the original definition of a word. For example:
Colloquialism: the language of everyday conversation, common within a specific language, time, and location. For example:
Important to note: although slang and colloquialism are informal, they have different characteristics. Slang is typically created by a specific social group in which the slang words decrease in popularity over time. Colloquialism, on the other hand, usually continues to be used, but in a specific geographical region, or era.
Lexis in formal English language is more common in writing than in speaking. However, this also depends on the audience. Whether you write to your friends or potential employer will influence your word choices and affect the grammar you use.
In general, formal and informal language can affect contractions, the absence of whom in relative clauses, and ellipsis. Have a look at this comparison:
Contractions:
Absence of whom:
How someone uses lexis in the English language is not only influenced by external factors like setting (eg, the audience and context), but also by the user's background. It may vary based on the user's occupation, sociolect (social dialect), and dialect.
Occupational register/jargon: the technical language that is related to certain professions. For example:
Important to note: Unlike slang and colloquialism, jargon is typically not restricted to a certain location and time but is popular among certain people with the same interests/background.
Sociolect: a language style associated with a particular social group, commonly affiliated with age, gender, ethnicity, and education, among other factors. For example, the pronunciation of 'n' vs. 'ng' sound at the end of words, such as in working, planning, going and doing. Some studies argue that across the UK:
Study tip: People who study sociolects are called sociolinguists. Sociolinguistics studies language variation by analysing the relationship between language users and their use of language.
Dialect: a language style associated with a particular geographical region. Some examples of British regional dialects are:
Important to note: Be careful when you use the terms dialect and accent. They are not the same. Accents are a part of dialect. Accent refers to pronunciation, whereas dialect encompasses pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Semantics is the study of meaning at the levels of words, phrases, sentences, and discourse. This term is used in linguistics, and also in other disciplines, such as philosophy and computer science.
Semantics is one of the seven levels of language. Look at the diagram below. The size of the circle reflects the area that the sub-field covers. Phonetics has the smallest area and pragmatics has the largest area. Fig. 1 - Consider how semantics relates to other topics in the English language.
Field of Study | Description |
Pragmatics | The study of language in discourse (conversation level). |
Semantics | The study of meaning ( for example, words, phrases, sentence level). |
Syntax | The study of sentence structure (phrases and sentences level). |
Morphology | The study of word structure (word level). |
Phonology | The study of sound arrangement (phoneme level). |
Phonetics | The study of sound production (speech sound level). |
A semantic field refers to a group of words that are associated with each other. For example, the semantic field of 'school' would be 'students', 'teachers', 'exams', and 'textbooks'; and the semantic field of 'animals' would be 'duck', 'wild', and 'hunt'.
The lexical items in a semantic field aren't restricted to a certain word class (just verbs or nouns) but can be of any word class related to the semantic field.
Scholars divide semantics into two groups: structural semantics and cognitive semantics.
Structural semantics is the study of relationships between words in a sentence. Basically, we look at how meaning can be composed of smaller units.
Cognitive semantics is the study of linguistic meaning.
Both structural and cognitive semantics have their subtypes. You can see the classification in the table below. This is not the full list.
Fig. 2 - Structural and cognitive semantics.
In the following sections, we'll dive deeper into each subtype. We won't go into too much detail here, but it'll be enough to give you an overview of each main idea. If you want to get a full explanation, feel free to click on the link on each term.
As explained above, structural semantics is about the relationship between lexical items. This includes the meaning of the word and its position in a phrase or sentence. Take a look at some structural semantic examples below!
Denotative meaning describes the literal meaning of a word. There is no additional value attached to the word. The word is as it is presented. This is also known as the dictionary definition.
This sentence has no hidden meaning; it just tells us the name of the new student.
Connotative meaning, on the other hand, is about the extra, associated, meaning. Because of this, the connotative meaning can vary based on the speaker or hearer's background and personal experience.
This means the place, Hollywood, but it also means the American film industry, which is about glamour, superficiality, and fame.
Paradigmatic relation has to do with the vertical relationship between words that can be substituted by words of the same word class. There are some methods for substituting words, such as synonymy (similar meaning), antonymy (opposite meaning), and hyponymy (a kind of meaning).
Syntagmatic relation describes the horizontal relationship between words that co-occur in the same sentence. The linear relation between words can also explain collocation (frequently occurring word combinations) and idioms (fixed expressions).
For example, The handsome man ate some chicken.
Lexical ambiguity occurs when the multiple meanings of a word cause more than one interpretation. This can happen when the speaker/author doesn't have the same background information as the listener/reader.
Polysemy and homonymy often generate lexical ambiguity as they refer to a single word with multiple meanings. The former illustrates 'a word with many related meanings', and the latter describes 'words that are pronounced the same or spelt the same or both, but with unrelated meanings'.
For example: Give me the bat!
Fig. 3 - 'Bat' can refer to an animal.
Fig. 4 - 'Bat' can refer to a baseball bat.
The bat can be interpreted in two ways:
Lexis and the English language are constantly changing. Semantic meaning is no different. A good example of semantic change is you and thou. In the 13th century, people began using one singular pronoun 'you' instead of distinguishing between thou (for second person singular) and you (for second person plural). The two variations of 'you' have now merged into one, and convey equal politeness and formality nowadays.
The transformation can take several forms, and some are listed below:
Narrowing: specification of meaning.
Broadening: generalization of meaning.
Amelioration: improvement in the meaning of a word.
Pejoration: deterioration in the meaning of a word.
A language can create new words in a variety of ways. Neologism refers to words or expressions that are created from an existing word. You can combine and/or shorten two or more words, or change the morphology (word construction) of words.
Here are some of the ways new words can be created:
Cognitive semantics defines how human cognition perceives and processes lexical items. It challenges the idea that word meaning always corresponds to plain meaning. Cognitive semantics argues that lexical meaning is conceptual and that individual experience can affect meaning.
Because of this, cognitive semantics is closely related to figurative language, such as metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, and oxymoron, among others.
Metaphor is when one thing refers to another to help us see the similarity between them.
Metonymy replaces one thing by the name of something closely associated with it
Hyperbole exaggerates to make a point.
Oxymoron combines two contradictory meanings.
Lexis refers to the words of a language.
Since the literal meaning of lexis is 'word', any word is technically lexis, eg, computer, doctor, go, blue, and always.
Semantics refers to the study of meaning in language.
Lexis and semantics are different but related. Lexis is the words of a language. Semantics is about the study of meaning.
Semantics concerns the meaning of language. For example, if someone were analysing lexis, they would consider the denotative (literal) meaning and the connotative (cultural and contextual) meaning.
What are oxymorons used for?
They are used to show contrast and/or a deeper meaning.
What is an example of an oxymoron from everyday life?
Good grief
What type of language device is an oxymoron?
A figure of speech/figurative language
What types of literature most commonly have oxymorons?
Fiction and poetry.
What types of literature can include oxymorons?
All types of literature
How can you identify an oxymoron?
It uses two words that contrast with each other.
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