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Ngá Nghä©a Unit 3
Ngá Nghä©a Unit 3
UNIT 3
I. TYPES OF MEANING
A. WORD MEANING
1. Denotative meaning
2. Connotative meaning
B. SENTENCE MEANING
1. Literal meaning
2. Figurative meaning / Figures of speech
A. WORD MEANING
1. Denotative / Literal / Descriptive / Referential meaning
The denotative dictionary meaning
can be described by a set of semantic features
describes something => called descriptive meaning
refers us to something in the world => called referential meaning
Ex: A pig: a domestic animal, having 4 legs & a tail, hairy, usually raised for meat
A father: a male human, adult, married, having children …
2. Connotative / Figurative / Social / Affective meaning
The connotative + implied, additional meaning
+ shows people’s emotions and / or attitudes => affective meaning
+ may vary with individual or community => social meaning
+ may be used positively or negatively by speaker
Ex: + The word pig in “He is a pig” may means connotatively:
He is a pig => - Lazy
- Greedy
- Stupid
- Dirty
+ As connotative meaning, the word woman may means positively devotion,
patience, generosity …, and negatively frailty, inconstancy, irrationality …
B. SENTENCE MEANING
1. Linguistic / literal meaning
The linguistic meaning of a sentence depends on:
- The meanings of the constituent words
- The syntactic functions of the units in the sentence (subject, object,...)
- The semantic / participant roles of the noun phrases in the sentence.
Compare the following sentences:
(1) The lion bit the hunter.
(2) The hunter bit the lion.
(3) The hunter was bitten by the lion
First, to understand the meaning of the sentences, we must know the meanings of the words
‘lion, bite, hunter’. However, we can use exactly the same words to form different sentences
with the same or different meanings.
1
(1) The lion bit the hunter # (2) The hunter bit the lion
S O S O
The two sentences (1) & (2) have different meanings because the words have different syntactic
functions.
(2) The hunter bit the lion # (3) The hunter was bitten by the lion.
S O S O
The sentences (2) & (3) have different meanings although the words have the same syntactic
functions.
(1) The lion bit the hunter = (3) The hunter was bitten by the lion.
S O S O
The sentences (1) & (3) have the same meaning although the words have different syntactic
functions. What makes the meaning of the two sentences similar or different? It is what is called
semantic / participant roles which is the most important factor.
SEMANTIC or PARTICIPANT ROLES: the role performed by a noun phrase in relation to the verb
Types
Agent (A): the one that initiates an action (person/ animal + action verb)
Ex: Paul opened the door
Patient (P): the one that suffers from or is affected by the action (action verb)
Ex: Paul opens the door ; The door opened at the first blow of wind
Paul is boiling water ; Water boils at 100OC
Experiencer (người trải nghiệm) (E): the one that experiences a feeling/ sensation/ perception …
(a person / an animal + a non-action verb)
Ex: Paul loves Mary
I recognize that I’m wrong
The boy wants a candy
The teacher remembers meeting me somewhere
Stimulus (động cơ kích thích) (S): the one that causes a feeling / sensation (emotion verb)
Ex: Paul loves Mary
I’m afraid of ghost
The book of the teacher makes me very happy
The film interests me a lot
Recipient (R) (the receiver): the one that receives a physical object
Ex: He gave me a book last night
Benefactive (B) : the one that benefits from an action
Ex: I do all this for you
I sent him a gift for his son
Instrument (I): the one that is used to perform an action (implying a user)
Ex: I open the door with a hammer
Paul used a key to open the door
Cause (C): the one that causes an action to happen (not implying a user)
Ex: The door opened suddenly at the blow of the wind
Paul was hurt with a knife (implying someone using a knife to hurt him)
I
Paul was hurt by a knife (not implying the user of the knife)
C
2
Locative (L): the place where an action happens
Ex: I was born in Đà lạt
HCM city is a good place to live
Temporal (T): the time when an action happens
Ex: Yesterday, I saw you at the supermarket
Exercise 15: Identify the semantic role of the noun phrases in the following sentences
1. The student (Agent) couldn’t finish (action) the assignment (patient) because the library (patient)
2. The couple (agent) raced (action) the horses (patient) through the meadow (locative) yesterday
morning (temperal).
3. The teacher (Experiencer) was angered (non-action) by the rowdy students (stimulus).
4. I (experiencer) recall (non-act) hearing my brother (agent) say (act) that (patient).
5. Tom (Agent) lent (act) me (recipient) enough money (patient) to pay (act) the rent (patient).
6. At the reunion (Temperal) he (A) ran into (act) his cousin Karl (P).
7. The farmer (A) went to the field (L) before dawn (T).
9. A big tree (P) was rooted up by the storm (C) last night (T).
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13. The unlucky customer had the undercooked meat sent back to the chef.
15. I’m very glad to meet you here after so many years.
16. The book you gave me on Teacher’s Day was worth reading.
17. An unfair attitude toward the poor will contribute to the problem of poverty.
18. After the yolk is separated from the white, it must be boiled immediately.
19. Nutritionists recommended that foods from each of the four basic groups be eaten regularly.
20. It was thought for many centuries that the world was flat.
27. The boy seems to be interested in the film shown at NH cinema last night.
29. As the storm raged, the waves grew higher and higher.
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36. Alan was sent a special gift on her birthday.
37. Many TV programs today help students to improve their study a lot.
38. The prisoner killed the guard then disappeared into the forest.
40. Putting one hand in the pocket, he walked around the front yard.
42. She (experiencer) wants to know if anyone (agent) has an umbrella (patient) to lend her
(recipient).
45. Delayed by the bad weather ©, the plane (patient) arrived in Hanoi (L) one hour late.
46. My first job (Stimulus), cleaning the floor (patient), made me (Experiencer) exhausted.
47. The door ajar (Stimulus) made the girl (Experiencer) worried.
48. We (A) watched the brown river (P) swollen with rain ©.
49. A house (P) surrounded by a large, deep ditch (I) provides us (Be) with a safe shelter (P).