LING 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Polysemy, Blunt Instrument, Financial Institution
23 Nov 2015
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Dictionary: no, dictionaries reflect how ppl use words, entries will be changed after usage changes, new words are added as they become popular. Mental images: no, they can differ dramatically b/w ppl, context can change image, default mental image = prototype doesn"t capture more peripheral examples. Meaning comes more from some idea of basic concept behind a word & idea of how that word can be used. We will make a connection b/w a word"s sense & its referents . Sense = mental representation of meaning of a word. Referents = real life examples that belong to that sense . Cat: sense : feline animal, possible referents : *diagrams in lecture slide* President of carleton university: sense : chief executive officer overseeing all operations, current referent : roseanne runte, referent for the president of carleton will change. Centaur: sense: mythological creature head & upper body of a man, body of a horse, possible referents : no real centaurs in world.
