Definition of Semantics, Types of Meaning (Denotative, Connotative, Social, Thematic)

 Semantics

1. Definition of Semantics

Semantics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning in language. It focuses on how words, phrases, sentences, and texts convey meaning. While phonetics studies sounds and syntax studies sentence structure, semantics studies what language means. It explains how meaning is expressed, interpreted, and understood in communication.

Semantics is concerned with:

• meaning of words
• meaning of sentences
• relationships between meanings
• interpretation of language
• logical relations in meaning

For example, the sentences “The boy is running” and “The child is running” are different in words, but similar in meaning. Semantics helps us understand how meaning works in such cases.

2. Types of Meaning

(a) Denotative Meaning

Denotative meaning is the literal, dictionary meaning of a word. It is the basic, objective meaning that a word directly refers to.

Examples:

·        Dog → a four-legged animal

·        Rose → a type of flower

·        Chair → a piece of furniture

·        Snake → a reptile

Denotative meaning is stable and common to all speakers of a language.

(b) Connotative Meaning

Connotative meaning is the emotional, cultural, and personal meaning associated with a word beyond its literal meaning. It depends on feelings, experiences, and social attitudes.

Examples:

·        Rose → love, beauty, romance

·        Snake → danger, betrayal

·        Home → comfort, safety, family

·        Child → innocence, purity

Connotative meaning is subjective and varies from person to person.

(c) Social Meaning

Social meaning shows the social background, status, and relationship of the speaker and listener. It reflects social class, formality, profession, and group identity.

Examples:

·        Father → neutral

·        Dad → informal

·        Sir → respectful and formal

·        Bro → informal and friendly

The choice of words shows the social context and relationship between speakers.

(d) Thematic Meaning

Thematic meaning refers to the meaning created by the arrangement and emphasis of words in a sentence. It depends on what is given importance in the sentence.

Examples:

·        Ram broke the glass.

·        The glass was broken by Ram.

Both sentences have the same basic meaning, but the focus is different. In the first, Ram is important; in the second, the glass is important.

3. Lexical Meaning and Grammatical Meaning

Lexical Meaning

Lexical meaning is the meaning of individual words.

Examples:

·        Book → a reading material

·        Run → to move fast

·        Red → a colour

Grammatical Meaning

Grammatical meaning is the meaning expressed through grammar, such as tense, number, gender, case, and degree.

Examples:

·        boy / boys → number

·        walk / walked → tense

·        big / bigger → degree

4. Sense and Reference

Sense

Sense is the internal meaning of a word within the language system. It is the conceptual meaning shared by speakers.

Example:
The words “morning star” and “evening star” have different senses.

Reference

Reference is the actual object or entity in the real world that a word points to.

Example:
Both “morning star” and “evening star” refer to the same object → the planet Venus.

Thus:

·        Sense = meaning inside language

·        Reference = meaning in the real world

5. Sentence and Utterance

Sentence

A sentence is a grammatical structure. It is an abstract linguistic unit that exists in language.

Example:
It is cold.

This sentence exists in grammar books and language systems.

Utterance

An utterance is the actual spoken use of a sentence in a real situation.

Example:
When a person says “It is cold” in a room, that spoken act is an utterance.

Thus:

·        Sentence = abstract form

·        Utterance = real use in context

6. Entailment and Presupposition

Entailment

Entailment is a logical relationship where the truth of one sentence guarantees the truth of another sentence.

Example:

·        Ravi killed the snake.
⟹ The snake is dead.

If the first sentence is true, the second must also be true.

Presupposition

Presupposition is the assumed background information that must be true for a sentence to make sense.

Example:

·        Rita stopped smoking.

This presupposes that:
→ Rita used to smoke.

Even if the sentence is negative:

·        Rita did not stop smoking
It still presupposes that Rita used to smoke.

Thus:

·        Entailment = logical consequence

·        Presupposition = assumed background truth

7. Conclusion

Semantics is the study of meaning in language. It helps us understand how words and sentences convey meaning, how meaning changes in different contexts, and how interpretation works in communication. Concepts such as types of meaning, lexical and grammatical meaning, sense and reference, sentence and utterance, and entailment and presupposition provide a scientific and systematic understanding of meaning. Semantics, therefore, forms a core part of linguistic study and is essential for understanding language, communication, and interpretation.