基于可接受性剖析英语中的语义成分
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Two Classical Approaches to Meaning
Meanings are people’s thoughts which are expressed by symbols.And meanings can be classified as linguistic meanings and non—linguistic meanings．Linguistic meanings are the meaning which words,sentences and other items of language have. Non-linguistic meanings are whatever meanings can be expressed without using languages.In this paper,we will focus the semantics which studies the meaning of words,phrases and sentences.As famous philosophers such as Plato have studied the meaning of languages,so we can say that semantics has long history on one hand.On the other hand,it is not until the end of 20th century that semantics became an emerging science,so we must say that semantics is a young discipline.
Now semantics has been developed from different aspects.In this chapter we will give a brief introduction to three most representative approaches,which are Truth—conditional，structural and cognitive approaches to meanings.
1.1.1 Structural Approach
Ferdinand de Saussure,the father of modern linguistic and originator of structuralism,insists language is an antonymous system.Neither the outside world or people’ideas can impinge on the language system.The meaning of a linguistic form is determined by the language system itself.Meanings can be explained in the terms of the relation between the linguistic entities.
1.1.2 Truth-conditional Approach to Meaning
If we use truth-conditional approach to study the semantics of natural 1anguage, then the meaning of a sentence is reducible to the truth conditions of that sentence. The focus of truth-conditional theories is to define the meaning sense of a given proposition in terms of the truth conditions under which it obtains in the real world．For example， it is only when the speaker has black hair that the sentence“I have black hair”can be true.In another word,if we want to know the meaning of a sentence,we must first know the conditions under which it would be true or false．
Linguists who support truth-conditional approach consider that meaning is used to refer to extra-linguistic entities.The meaning of sentences have to affirm determinate
states of things which may prove to be true or false，英语毕业论文，英语论文，thereby possessing a specific truth value．
1.2 Cognitive Approach to Meaning
Until 1970’s,more and more linguists began to doubt the autonomy hypothesis. They believe human being’interaction with the outside world can influence the knowledge of language.
Cognitive linguistics is an approach to language that is based on our experience of the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize it．(Ungerer and Schmid，1996： F36)
Cognitive semantics is part of the cognitive linguistics movement，which is the study of semantics within the framework of cognitive linguistics．(Geeraerts，1997：6)
Notes
[1]Anderson,H.Markedness Theory—The First 150 years.In O.Tomic(ed.). Markedness in Synchrony and Diachrony.New York:Mouton de Gruyter,1989
[2]Bard,Ellen Gyman;Dan Robertson;and Antonella Sorace.Magnitude Estimation of linguistic Acceptability，Language.Baltimore: The Linguistic Society of America,1996
[3]Bolinger.Dwight.Aspects of Language.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,1999.
[4]Chomsky Noam.Knowledge of Language:Its Nature,Origin and Use.New York: Praeger,1986
[5]Croft，Willam．Syntactic Categories and Grammatical Relat |
