Understanding Semantics: Reference and Sense Explained
Explore the concepts of reference and sense in semantics through examples and practice questions. Learn how language expressions refer to things in the world and understand the distinction between the referent and the reference. Delve into variable and constant reference with practical scenarios to grasp the nuances of language and communication.
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Semantics Unit 3 Reference and Sense Practice 1-4
Quick Quiz (A score of less than 5 indicates you should Review unit 2) Number your paper 1-6 In talking of sense: In talking of reference: relationships inside the language Sense will be explored more later relationships between language and the world a speaker indicates which things in the world (including persons) are being talked about. "My son is in the beech tree" identifies person identifies thing
The Referent VS the Reference The referent is the actual thing in the world The reference is the language expression that refers to that thing in the world Before answering these questions you should carry out the following simple instruction: * touch your left ear. * 1. Write down the last three words in the above instruction. 2. Is the thing you touched a part of the world or a part of the language? 3. Is your answer to 1. a part of the language? 4. If you say to your mother "There's a wasp on your left ear" does "your left ear" here refer to the thing you touched in response to a previous question?
Variable Reference Your left ear is the referent of the phrase your left ear: reference is a relationship between parts of a language and things outside the language (in the world). The same expression can, in some cases, be used to refer to different things. There are as many potential referents for the phrase your left ear as there are people in the world with left ears. Likewise there are as many potential referents for the phrase this page as there are pages in the world. Thus some (in fact very many) expressions in a language can have variable reference.
Variable Reference (Continued) Same expressions different referents (1) What would be the referent of the phrase the present Prime Minister used in Britain:" (a) in 1982? _ (b)in 1944? (2) Therefore we can say that the phrase the present Prime Minister has ________________. (3) What would be the referent of the phrase the Prime Minister used in a conversation about: (a) British politics in 1982 _ (b) In 1944 (4) In the light of the preceding questions, does the reference of an expression vary according to (a) the circumstances (time, place, etc.) in which the expression is used, or (b) the topic of the conversation in which the expression is used, or (c) both (a) and (b)? Circle your choice.
Constant Reference Never refers to different things Imagine two different everyday situations in which separate couples are having separate conversations about what they refer to with the phrase the moon. . (1)Would they be talking about the same object (i.e. does the moon normally have constant reference)? (2)Does The People's Republic of China normally have constant reference? (3)Does Angola normally have constant reference? (4)Does Halley s Comet normally have constant reference? In fact, there is very little constancy of reference in language. In every day discourse almost all of the fixing of reference comes from the con- text in which expressions are used. Two different expressions can have the same referent. The classic example is the Morning Star and the Evening Star, both of which normally refer to the planet Venus.
Two Different Expressions can have the Same Referent. The classic example is the Morning Star and the Evening Star, both of which normally refer to the planet Venus. (1) In a conversation about Britain in 1982 can the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Conservative Party have the same referent? (2) If we are talking about a situation in which John is standing alone in the comer, can John have the same referent as the person in the corner? The president of the US and Michelle Obama s husband King Abdullah and ?
Unit 3 Practice 5-12
