LIN102H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Deixis, Presupposition
Document Summary
Semantics is the study of linguistic meanings of expressions. A sentence is a well-formed linguistic event using grammatical rules of a language. An utterance is any linguistic event that carries meaning. A sentence has an inherent meaning while utterances only have meaning when considered in the context of actual-world conditions. Sense is a type of definition for an entity that describes the essential aspects of the thing. Sense is what makes us capable of determining reference. Expressions that have no sense are those that can only point to a very specific reference and can only be given meaning through reference. Two expressions that have a different sense may sometimes have the same denotation. Two expressions that have the same sense must necessarily have the same denotation. Perfect synonyms are words that are identical in sense. Reference is established by giving meaning by referring to a specific entity that exists in the actual world.
