SEMANTICS

DEFINITION OF SEMANTICS

The word of semantics originally comes from Greek

sema that means sign. The term used by linguist to
mention the study about meaning. The new term
semantics came in 1984 through American
Philosophy Association in an article entitled
Reflected Meaning; A Point In Semantics. Semantics
started to be in use as the study of meaning in 1987 in
the work of literature by M .Barel entitled Essay De
Semantique.
Prof. Dr. Wagiman Adisutrisno, MA (2008: 1) in his
book title SEMANTICS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
BASIC CONCEPTS mentions that semantics is the
study of meaning in language. It is fact that meaning
is a part of language.

CONT

In structural linguistics, Francis in Wagiman (2008:1) defines

language, among others, as an arbitrary system of articulated
sounds made use of by a group of humans as a means of
carrying on the affairs of their society (1958 : 13 ). On the
contrary, according to Bloomfield in wagiman ( 1933 in leech ,
1981,2 ) the study of meaning in linguistics must be excluded.
However, any attempt to study language cannot escape from
the study of meaning. However, Goddad in Wagiman (2008: 6)
states that semantics is the study of meaning stands at the
very center of the linguistics quest to understand the nature
of language and human language abilities ( 1998 ; 1 ). In
addition, Fatimah Djajasudarma (2009: 11) mentions in her
book that semantics is linguistics and language. Almost
similarly, Hornby in little oxford dictionary (1986: 498) states
that semantics is a branch of linguistics concerned with
meaning

CONT

Based on the definitions above, the writer

draws conclusion that all of the meaning of
word will be discussed in the semantics as a
subfield of linguistics. Semantics is not only
the study about meaning but also all of the
factors that contain in language such as
etimology, root of word and meaning of
word.

APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF SEMANTICS

There are two approaches to the study of

meaning in language according to Leech
(1981) and Palmer, (1982 ) in Wagiman
Adisutrisno (2008: 8); those are :
The contextual approach
The mentalistics approach

THE CONTEXTUAL APPROACH

The contextual approach to meaning views meaning in language in

term of context, situation or use. This approach necessitates the
existence of an external stimulus that triggers the human brain to
produce meaning as a response to the stimulus. The structuralize
Bloomfield, states that the meaning of a linguistics form is the
situation in which the speaker utters it and the response which it
calls forth in the hearer . ( Bloomfield in Wagiman 2008 : 7 ). His
example to illustrate meaning as situation context or use is the
Jack and Jill context as follow:
Jill is hungry. She sees an apple in a tree. She makes a noise with
her larynx, tongue and lips. Jack vaults the fence, climbs the tree,
takes an apple, brings it to Jill, and places it in her hand. Jill eats
the apple.
Based on the statements and examples above it can be concluded
that external factors are needed in describing something such as
context or situation to make human brain respond the whole of
what the speaker or text tell about.

THE MENTALISTICS APPROACH

The mentalistics approach to meaning in

language views meaning as concepts, ideas,
images and association which are stored in
the long term memory of the human brain;
meaning is inside the brain. According to
Carrol in Wagiman ( 1986: 257 ), concepts ,
ideas, images and association are derived
from mentalese the mental representation
of word reality. The following examples
illustrate the concept of mentalese :

CONT
a. Word reality
Animate , animal , biped, avian. Quacking
Symbol
Duck
b. Word reality
Animate, animal, quadruped, mammal, vertebrate,
bovine, mooing, female
Symbol
Cow
c. Word reality
Inanimate , building, for worship , for the Christians
Symbol
Church