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Semantics: Unit 5: Predicates

This document discusses semantics and predicates. It defines a predicator as the word or group of words in a simple declarative sentence that is not a referring expression and makes the most specific contribution to the meaning of the sentence. Predicates are words that can function as predicators in other sentences. A predicate's degree indicates the number of arguments it normally takes. Most nouns are one-place predicates, but some inherently relational nouns can be two-place predicates.

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715 views

Semantics: Unit 5: Predicates

This document discusses semantics and predicates. It defines a predicator as the word or group of words in a simple declarative sentence that is not a referring expression and makes the most specific contribution to the meaning of the sentence. Predicates are words that can function as predicators in other sentences. A predicate's degree indicates the number of arguments it normally takes. Most nouns are one-place predicates, but some inherently relational nouns can be two-place predicates.

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Gâu Gâu
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPS, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SEMANTICS

Unit 5: Predicates
Entry Test
1. In reference to the previous units you learned in
this course book, what do you associate
a beautiful house with?
2. Whether a sentence contains any referring
expressions or not depends on the time and place at
which the sentence occurs. C/IC
3.- Sam is an American. Equative?
- Sam is my supervisor’s son.
- Sam is not the person we are talking about.
- Sam is the person standing in the corner.
4. Give examples of referring expressions.
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Referring expressions?
1. The cat chased the rat.
2. The kids are waiting for Santa Claus coming to
town.
3. Mahmoud is a genius.
4. The bread is stale.
5. Hue is between Danang and Quang Tri.
6. Alice is writing a letter.
7. The cherry tree has blossomed.
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PREDICATOR
• The PREDICATOR of a simple declarative
sentence is the word (sometimes a group of
words) which does not belong to any of the
referring expressions and which, of the
remainder, makes the most specific
contribution to the meaning of the sentence.
• The predicator describes the state or process in
which the referring expressions are involved.

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• Mummy is asleep.
• The white man loved the Indian maiden.
• Jimmy was waiting for the downtown bus.

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PRACTICE
1. I’m thirsty.
2. My sister is in Los Angeles.
3. The Mayor is a liar.
4. The girl who is standing in front of the school
gate is very intelligent.    
5. The cultural museum is behind the central
hospital.

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* The predicators in sentences can be of various
parts of speech: adjectives, verbs, prepositions,
and nouns.

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SEMANTIC ROLES
- Alice is English.
- The police arrested the thief.
- Jane took her son to Cairo.
Predicator Argument(s)
(played by the referring
expressions)

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SEMANTIC ROLES
- Alice is English.
- The police arrested the thief.
- Jane took her son to Cairo.
Predicator Argument(s)
- English - Alice
- arrest - The police, the thief
- take - Jane, her son, Cairo

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PREDICATE (in semantic sense)
Any word (or sequence of words) which (in a
given simple sense) can function as the
predicator of a sentence.
Which of the following can be predicates?
thirsty between genius arrest or
in front of take drink behind not intelligent
but proud of show liar
dustyabout woman Fred You
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PREDICATOR vs. PREDICATE
 The term ‘predicate’ identifies elements in the
language system.
 The term ‘predicator’ identifies the semantic
role played by a particular word (or group of
words) in a particular sentence.
* A tall, handsome stranger entered the saloon.
- Predicator:
- Predicates:
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PREDICATOR vs. PREDICATE
E.g. A tall, handsome stranger entered the
saloon.
- Predicator: enter
- Predicates: tall, handsome, stranger, and saloon
(can function as predicators in other sentences)
=> A simple sentence only has one predicator,
although it may well contain more than one
instance of a predicate.

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Predicates: tall, handsome, stranger, and saloon
(can function as predicators in other sentences)
E.g. - Tom is tall.
- He is handsome.
- He is a stranger.
- That building is a saloon.

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Predicates male & human function as a
predicator?
1. a) The male gorilla at the zoo had a nasty
accident yesterday.
b) The gorilla at the zoo is a male.
c) The gorilla at the zoo is male.
2. a) All humans are mortal.
b) Socrates was human.
c) These bones are human.
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DEGREE OF A PREDICATE
- The baby is asleep.
- Tom loves Mary.
- Helen is proud of her son.
- Allen took his kids to the zoo.
•The degree of a predicate is a number indicating the
number of arguments it is normally understood to
have in simple sentences.

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DEGREE OF A PREDICATE
- The baby is asleep.
--> a predicate of degree one / a one-place predicate
- Tom loves Mary. --> a two-place predicate
- Helen is proud of her son.
- Allen took his kids to the zoo.
-> take --> a three-place predicate

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 Give examples of verbs, prepositions and
adjectives as
- one-place predicates
- two-place predicates
- three-place predicates
 Of what degrees are most nouns as
predicates?
 Give examples of nouns as a two-place
predicate.
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• Most nouns are one-place predicate.
• ‘inherently relational’ nouns (e.g. father,
mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, etc.)
could be called a two-place predicate.
e.g. John is a brother of the Mayor of Miami.

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