Major Concern of Semantics

There are four concerns of semantics, they are:

1)   Naming

Naming as a semantic process derives from the understanding that words are names or labels for things. The major problem with this naming view is only noun and nominal expressions that can be analyzed semantically.

2)   Concept

Concept mediate between the mind constructs and objects in the real world. Saussure’s sign theory and Ogden and  Richards, semantic triangle derives from the conceptual approach to semantics. The approach emphasizes the power of the mind to make images and to associate these images to objects and ideas. Theapproach is highly mentalistic, relying on the ability to associate one thing with another. This ability ofassociation may not yield universal understanding. That explains why language experts developdictionaries to aggregate meaning on a universal basis. Interestingly, the production of dictionaries reliesheavily on denotations and connotations, two major angles to the study of meaning.

3)   Reference and Sense

Reference deals with the relation between the linguistic elements, words, sentences, and the non-linguistic worldof experience. Sense relates to the complex system of relationship that is hold between linguistic elements themselves (mostly the words); it is concerned only with intra-linguistic relation.Sense is closely related to reference. Reference is the relationship between words, the thing, actions, event, and qualities they stand for.