Definition theory

Define as precisely as you can the following 3 words

i. Triangle ii. Table iii. Love

Problems!

• Only mathematical words can be definded precisely

• Definitions depend on using other words!

• In order to stop being trapped in an endless circle of words, language must surely connect with the world.

Denotation theory

• A meaningful word “stands” for something, whereas a meaningless word does not

France stands for..

Problems

• Can you think of words which would be difficult to define by finding something they “stand for”?

Problems

• Can you think of words which would be difficult to define by finding something they “stand for”?

• Multiplication, freedom, wisdom, holistic, humanistic

Problems!

• Denotation theory does not work with abstract words

• Even a word like “Socrates” cannot literally be Socrates because it would become meaningless when he died.

Image Theory

• The meaning of a word is the mental image it stands for. You know the meaning of the word when you have the relevant concept in your mind.

• Freedom• Democracy• Red• England• New York• History • Art• Psychology

In pairs, ask each other to describe what image they have when considering the list of

words below. How different are they?

Problems!

• We can never be sure that a person understands the meaning of a word the same as we do as they may have a different “image” in their mind

• An english football team.. Has to be..

Meaning as know-how

• You know the meaning of a word when you know how to use it correctly

Problematic meaning

1. Vagueness

Without thinking too much, write down a figure for the following;

1.John lives near school. How close does he live?

2.Janet is a heavy smoker. How many cigarettes a day does she smoke?

3.Mr Smith is middle- aged. How old is he?

4.Nafisha’s mother is rich. How much money does she have in the bank?

2) Vagueness

Fast

Bald?

Jokes that rely on ambiguity!!“The valuable dog was still missing, believed stolen, however the police

announced they have a lead.”

Your very last breath will be a fatal blow.

Gravity is studied a lot because it's a very attractive field.

Read the sentences below and find and account for two meanings

Flying planes can be dangerous They saw Mrs Jones and a dog sitting

under a table. Refuse to be put in the basket. Mia wanted to hear the pop star sing very

badly. Visiting relatives can be boring. Johnny ate the bacon on the sofa. I didn’t sleep with my wife before we were

married . Did you?

• In groups write down some ambiguous statements.

Context helps

They saw Mrs Jones and a dog sitting under a table

3. Secondary meaning• Connotations - web of associations

surrounding a word.

First lady or “Presidential partner”?

First man?

Slender, skinny, thin

Stubborn, steadfast, firm

Praise, flatter, commend

Energetic, spirited, frenzied

Stench, smell, fragrance

Think of as many different words as you can for;

Drunk

Think of as many different words as you can for;

Stupid

4) Irony

Defined as:

incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

But what is the difference between irony and sarcasm?

"A. . . perception of inconsistency, [usually but not always humorous], in which an apparently straightforward statement or event is undermined by its context so as to give it a very different significance. .

5. MetaphorA figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily

designates one thing is used to designate another.

Zaria has his head in the clouds

Emma has put her roots down in houston

My brother is a butcher

My dentist is a butcher

Explain the following;

“No man is an island” (John Donne, 1572-1631)

Fly and swim?What is the problem here?

Consider..

• Should we care about the meaning of words?

• Are there times when the literal meaning is important?

• Who can use the meaning of words to their advantage?

Translation

Activity

• Class debate

• Should we have a universal language?

A world language?

What would be the advantages and disadvantages if everyone in the world spoke the same language?

“Who does not know another language does not know his own” Goethe

Discuss in groups:

What can you learn about your own language by studying another? How does learning another language increase your knowledge of the world?

Idioms

A colloquial expression that can’t be worked out from the meanings of the words

Idioms

Idioms

Idioms

Think of any more??