Referent（所指） object in the world of experience
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The Theory of Reference
Words → Meaning: Words ‘name’ or ‘refer to’ things -- Platonic
Words→Concepts→Things: Ogden & Richards thought/concept/image
用符号或单词表示物体是通过言语者思 维中单词的形式与概念联系起来实现的。 从这个观点看，概念就是单词的意义。
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Contextualism (语境论)
Meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context — elements closely linked with language behavior.
The conceptualist view
概念论
Contextualism (Bloomfield)
语境论
Behaviorism
行为主义论
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Naming theory (Plato)命名论
Words are names or labels for things.
词语只是代表物体的名字或标记。
Limitations:
1) Applicable to nouns only.
2) There are nouns which denote things that do not exist in the real world, e.g. ghost, dragon, unicorn, phenix…
3) There are nouns that do not refer to physical
objects but abstract notions, e.g. joy, impulse,
hatred…
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The conceptualist view 概念论
The conceptualist view holds that there is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to (i.e. between language and the real world); rather, in the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind.
Chapter 5： Semantics
语义学
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Semantics----the study of language meaning. 语义学是对语言意义的研究。 Meaning is central to the study of
communication. 意义是研究交际的核心内容。 What is meaning?---- Scholars under
语言学形式和所指之间（即语言和现实世 界之间）没有直接联系；而在对意义的解 释中，形式和所指是通过思维概念彼此联 系。
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Ogden and Richards: semantic triangle 奥格登和理查兹的语义三角
Thought/reference（concept）（思想/指称）
Symbol/form （ 符 号 / 形 式 ） word/phrase/sentence
意义应当从场景, 运用, 语境这些与语言 行为紧密相联的成分的角度来进行研究.
Two types of contexts are recognized: Situational context; linguistic situation 场景语境和语言语境
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Linguistic context: sometimes known as co-text, is concerned with the probability of a word’s co-occurrence or collocation with another word, and also with the part of text that precedes and follows a particular utterance.
symbolizes
refers to
symbol (word)
stands for
referent (object)
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airplane
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Ogden and Richards: semantic triangle 奥格登和理查兹的语义三角
The symbol or a word signifies “things” by virtue of the concept associated with the form of the word in the minds of the speaker of the language; and the concept looked at from this point of view is the meaning of the word.
语言语境有时也称为互文, 它所涉及 的是一个词与另一个词共现或搭配构 成该词的部分意义的可能性, 而且语 境也涉及某一特定话语之前和之后的 语境部分.
11Biblioteka For example, “black” in black hair & black coffee, or black sheep differs in meaning; “The president of the United States” can mean either the president or presidency in different situation.
different scientific backgrounds have different understandings of language meaning.
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Some views concerning the study of meaning
Naming theory (Plato)
命名论