semantics

study of meaning

Also known as: semasiology, semology

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Last Updated: Dec 4, 2024 • Article History

Also called:: semiotics, semology

Or:: semasiology

Key People:: Ludwig Wittgenstein; Paul Ricoeur; Alexander Bryan Johnson; Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz; S.I. Hayakawa

Related Topics:: metalogic; qualia; meaning; general semantics; generative semantics

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semantics, the philosophical and scientific study of meaning in natural and artificial languages. The term is one of a group of English words formed from the various derivatives of the Greek verb sēmainō (“to mean” or “to signify”). The noun semantics and the adjective semantic are derived from sēmantikos (“significant”); semiotics (adjective and noun) comes from sēmeiōtikos (“pertaining to signs”); semiology from sēma (“sign”) + logos (“account”); and semasiology from sēmasia (“signification”) + logos. It is difficult to formulate a distinct definition for each of these terms, because their use largely overlaps in the literature despite individual preferences. The word ...(100 of 4521 words)

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