SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATIC

Group III

1. Karel samangun

2. Rindiani

3. Jamila

4. Akbar Firmansyah
Semantics In Linguistics

1. Semantics

Semantics (Greek: semantikos, giving sign, important, from the word sema, sign) is

a branch of linguistics that studies the meaning contained in a language, code, or

other types of representation. The verb is 'semaino' which means 'to mark' or 'to

symbolize'. What is meant by signs or symbols here are linguistic signs.

Cont..

According to Ferdinand de Saussure, the linguistic sign consists of components

that replace, in the form of language sounds, and components that are

interpreted or the meaning of the first component. These two components are

a sign or symbol, whereas what is marked or symbolized is something that is

outside the language, or what is commonly referred to as a referent /

reference / thing that is designated. So, semantics is a science that studies the

relationship between linguistic signs and the things they sign; or a branch of

linguistics that studies the meaning of language (Hurford, 1984: 1).

2. Pragmatic

Pragmatics is the study of the relationship between language and

grammatical context or encoded in the structure of language

(Pragmatics is the study of those relations between language and

context that are grammaticalized, or encoded in the structure of a

language) (Levinson, 1985: 9). In other words, pragmatics is the

study of the use of language in context. Pragmatics focuses on how

speakers or writers use their knowledge to express a meaning

(Bloomer, 2005: 78).

 Conventional Difference
Semantics is the study of meaning: knowledge will be encoded in language
vocabulary and patterns to construct more complex meanings, down to the level
of meaning of sentences. The pragmatics relates to the use of these tools in
meaningful communication. Pragmatics is about the interaction of semantic
knowledge with our knowledge of the world, considering the context used.
Conventionally, the difference between semantics and pragmatics is judged based
on three things: (1) linguistics meaning vs. use, (2) truth-conditional vs. non-
truth-conditional meaning, and (3) context independence vs. context
dependence (Bach, in Turner 1999: 70). Here's the explanation.
A .Linguistics Meaning vs
Use
Linguistics meaning or linguistic meaning (language) is distinguished by

its use or usage. At a glance, semantics and pragmatics are branches of

linguistics that both study the meanings of lingual units. The difference

is that semantics studies linguistic meaning or meaning that is internal,

whereas pragmatics studies the speaker's meaning or meaning in

speakers and is external in relation to context. In other words,

semantics learns the literal meaning of an idea, whereas pragmatics is

the implied meaning of a given idea.

Cont..

Semantics is the study of the meaning of sentences (sentences), while

pragmatics is the study of the meaning of utterance. Semantics is the

science of linguistics that studies the meaning contained in context-free

morphemes, words, phrases and sentences. The linguistic meaning here

is the meaning contained in language, which is structured in and by the

language system, which is understood more or less the same by speakers

in general and natural communication activities (Subroto, 1999: 111). In

pragmatics the meaning of speakers (speaker meaning or speaker sense)

is that sense is closely related to a complex system of linguistic elements,

namely words. Sense focuses on the meaning of the sentence and its

relationship to the meaning of the word (Palmer, 1981: 9).

Cont..

In pragmatics, if there is a deliberate error in the use of grammar

by the speaker, it is said that there is a maxim of the speech act

that is violated. Meanwhile, semantics does not analyze

language in terms of usage so that if there is an intentional error

by a speaker, semantics cannot determine the real meaning of

the speaker because it is only based on the general meaning.

Cont..

Example:

In the following sentence, B answers question A with at least

three possible ways of saying "not" or "not wanting to eat".

A: Have you eaten this afternoon?

B (1): I haven't eaten. But I don't want to eat.

B (2): I ate just now. (lie)

B (3): I'm still full, really.

In order to say what he meant, B could at least say in
three words: B (1) directly stated his intentions and
reasons; B (2) by lying, he implies that he does not
want to eat; B (3) for reasons of politeness, and
implies he does not want to eat. To answer question
A, although it also cannot explain very precisely,
semantics can only analyze the meaning clearly in
sentence B (1) because the sentence directly answers
question A, but semantics cannot explain precisely
the meaning of B (2) and B (3) because B answered
indirectly so it requires an understanding of the
situation around him.
Truth-conditional vs Non-t
ruth-conditional Meaning
Cruse (2006: 136) contains the differences
between semantics and pragmatics.
Semantics relates to aspects of truth
conditional meaning, that is, if a statement
must be empirically verifiable or it must be
analytical, for example 'cat sweeps the page' is
semantically unacceptable because it cannot
be verified empirically and is not a logical
statement.
Cont.

Blackmore explained about truth conditional semantics,

that is, when we look at a phrase / sentence / language unit
that can be verified, the language unit deals with aspects of
meaning that are context-free, for example the word "I'm
sorry" is difficult to find verification of whether the person
who is stating the phrase is truly apologetic or not.
Context Independence vs Con
text Dependence
What is meant by meaning internally is meaning that is context free (independent

context); that is, this meaning can be interpreted without a context or meaning

contained in the dictionary, while the meaning that is studied externally is context

dependent meaning that the language units in a speech can be explained if there is

a context, namely the context of who is speaking, to whom that person is

speaking, how is the state of the speaker, when, where, and what is the purpose so

that the speaker's meaning can be understood by the people around him. Without

understanding the context, the interlocutor will have difficulty understanding the

speaker's intent.
Cont.

Example:

1. His good performance allowed him to be appointed for a second term

2. The president is coming down the plane steps

In the above example the words good and president have a semantic meaning or meaning internally, while externally,
when viewed from the use of the word good, it does not always mean 'good' or 'not bad'. Likewise president does not
always mean 'head of state' as in the example:

3. Father: How did your test score?

Budi: Yes, only 50, sir.

Father: Good, don't study tomorrow.

4. Watch out, the president is here!

The word good in (3) does not mean 'good' or not bad ', but vice versa. Meanwhile, if sentence (4) is used to
insinuate, the word president does not mean 'head of state', but it means someone who ironically deserves that title.
In connection with the attachment, it is not only good in dialogue (3) which means 'bad', but tomorrow, don't study
and watch it continuously, also means 'be diligent tomorrow' and 'stop watching your hobby'.
Cont.

To describe the semantic-pragmatic difference is to compare a number of terms in semantics and

pragmatics:

• Type vs token

• Tentence vs utterance

• Meaning vs use

• Context-invariant vs context-sensitive meaning

• linguistic vs speaker's meaning

• literal vs nonliteral use

• Saying vs implying

• Content vs force
Comparison of "meaning" Between
Pragmatic and Semantic Studies
Leech, (1983: 8) disputes the difference between 'language' (langue) and 'use of
language' (parole) which centers on the difference between semantics and
pragmatics. Langue is a whole system of signs that functions as a means of verbal
communication between members of a language community, it is abstract, whereas
what is meant by parole is the use or realization of langue by each member of the
language community, its concrete nature, namely the physical reality of language
that is different from people. one with another. Pragmatics and semantics have the
same object of discussion, which is related to meaning. These two fields of study
deal with meaning, but the difference between them lies in the difference in the use
of the verb to mean to mean:
Cont.

1. What does X mean? (What does X mean)

2. What did you mean by X (What do you mean by X)

Thus in pragmatics meaning is defined in relation to speakers or language users, while in

semantics, meaning is defined solely as features of expressions in a particular language,
separate from the situation, speakers and speakers.

Semantics treats meaning as a relationship that involves two sides (dyadic relation) or a two-
way relationship, namely between form and meaning, while pragmatics treats meaning as a
relationship that involves three sides (triadic relation) or a three-way relationship, namely form,
meaning, and context. Thus, in semantics meaning is defined solely as the characteristics of
expressions in a particular language, separate from the situation, speakers and speakers, while
meaning in pragmatics is defined in relation to the speakers or language users.
Cont.
The relationship between form and meaning in
pragmatics is also studied by Yule (2001: 5). He defines
pragmatics as the study of the relationship between
linguistic forms and the human language of those forms.
This definition is contrasted with the definition of
semantics, namely as a study of the relationship between
linguistic forms and entities in the world, how words and
things are literally related. Yule further emphasized that
semantic analysis seeks to establish a relationship
between verbal descriptions and statements of
relationships in the world accurately or not, regardless of
who produces the description.
Cont.

To see the importance of pragmatics in linguistics, Leech (in Eelen 2001: 6) states the difference

between semantics and pragmatics: semantics examines the meaning (sense) of sentences that

are abstract and logical; while pragmatics examines the relationship between the meaning of

speech and its pragmatic power (force). Although meaning and power are two different things,

they cannot really be separated because power includes meaning. In other words, semantics

examines the meaning of utterances spoken, while pragmatics examines the meaning of

utterances that are communicated or communicated. Semantics is bound to rules (rule-

governed), while pragmatics is bound to principles (principle-governed). Rules differ from

principles by their nature. Rules are descriptive, absolute or absolute, and have clear boundaries

with other principles, while principles are normative or can be applied relatively, can conflict with

other principles, and have boundaries that intersect with other principles
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