Theme №2 Semasiology and Phraseology Semasiology. Types of word meaning. Change of meaning. Polysemy

2. Types of word meaning: lexical, grammatical meanings. Denotational and connotational components of lexical meaning. Implicational meaning.

Generally speaking, meaning can be more or less described as a component of the word through which a concept is communicated, in this way endowing the word with the ability of denoting real objects, qualities, actions and abstract notions. The complex relationships between referent (object, etc. denoted by the word), concept and word are traditionally represented by the following triangle:

Figure 1
Thought or Reference

S ymbol Referent

By the “symbol” here is meant the word; thought or reference is concept. The dotted line suggests that there is no immediate relation between word and referent: it is established only through the concept.

On the other hand, there is a hypothesis that concepts can only find their realisation through words. It seems that thought is dormant till the word wakens it up. It is only when we hear a spoken word or read a printed word that the corresponding concept springs into mind.
The branch of linguistics which specialises in the study of meaning is called semantics. As with many terms, the term semantics is ambiguous for it can stand, as well, for the expressive aspect of language in general and for the meaning of one particular word in all its varied aspects and nuances (i.e. the semantics of a word = the meaning(s) of a word).
The meanings of all the utterances of a speech community include the total experience of that community; arts, science, practical occupations, amusements, personal and family life.
The modern approach to semantics is based on the assumption that the inner form of the word (i.e. its meaning) presents a structure which is called the semantic structure of the word.
Thus, meaning is a certain reflection in our mind of objects, phenomena or relations that makes part of the linguistic sign − its so-called inner facet, whereas the sound-form functions as its outer facet:
Within grammatical and lexical aspects of a language grammatical and lexical meanings are distinguished.