This chapter will try to convey a more precise idea about expression meaning:
descriptive meaning---the relationship between meaning, reference and truth
non descriptive meaning--- dimensions of lexical meaning that are relevant on the level of social interaction or for the expression of subjective attitudes and evaluations.
2.1 Meanings are concepts
2.1.1 The meaning of a word
The meaning of the word must be knowledge directly linked to the sound pattern of the word. The meaning therefore is a mental description. For mental descriptions in general, the term concept will be used. A concept for a kind, or category, of entities is knowledge that allows us to discriminate entities of that kind from entities of other kinds.
More generally, a word can only be considered established if its form and meaning are linked in the minds of a great number of language users.
2.1.2 The meaning of a sentence
The meaning of a content word is a concept that provides a mental description of a certain kind of entity.
The meaning of a sentence is a concept that provides a mental description of a certain kind of situation.
2.2 Descriptive meaning
2.2.1 Descriptive meaning and reference
2.2.1.1 Reference and the descriptive meaning of words
Descriptive meaning of content words: a concept for its potential referents.
2.2.1.2 The descriptve meaning of sentences: propositions
Proposition: the descriptive meaning of a sentence, its proposition, is a concept that provides a mental description of the kind of situations it potentially refers to.
The descriptive meaning of a word or a grammatical form is its contribution to the descriptive meaning of the sentences in which the word or grammatical form may occur.
2.2.2 Denotation and truth conditions
2.2.2.1 Denotations
The denotation of a content word is the category, or set, of all its potential referents.
The relationship between a word, its meaning and its denotation is often depicted in the semiotic triangle.
The arrow that connects the word with its denotation is drawn with a broken line. This is to indicate that a word is not directly linked to its denotation, but only directly via its descriptive meaning.
When a word is actually used in a concrete CoU, we deal with a token of the word, i.e. a particular spoken or written realization. The semiotic triangle then yields a relationship between the word token, its meaning and its referent: the meaning describes the referent to which the word, in the given COU, refers.
2.2.2.2 Truth conditions
There is no established term for what would be the denotation of a sentence. In analogy to the denotation of a content word it would be the set, or category, of all situations to which the sentence can potentially refer. There is another notion that is quite common and directly related to the would-be denotation of a sentence: its so-called truth condition.
The truth condition of a sentence are the conditions under which it is true.
A proper definition of the truth condition of a sentence S always takes this form:
"S is true in a given CoU if and only if..."
The connection between a sentence, its proposition and its truth conditions can be put as follows: the descriptive meaning of the sentence is its proposition, and the proposition determines the truth conditions of the sentence.
2.2.3 Proposition and sentence type
The grammatical type of the sentence contributes to its meaning, and this contribution is non-descriptive.
The meaning contribution of grammatical sentence type is a first example of non-descriptive meaning. Two more types: social meaning and expressive meaning.
2.3 Meaning and social interaction: social meaning
Any verbal utterance will receive an interpretation as a communicative act in the current social network, and in this sense it always has a social function.
2.3.1 Expression with social meaning
Social meaning is on a par with descriptive meaning: it is part of the lexical meaning of certain words, phrases or grammatical forms. If an expression has social meaning, it has so independently of the particular CoU. Like descriptive meaning, social meaning is an invariable part of the expression meaning.
2.4 Meaning and subjectivity: expressive meaning
Anything we say will also be taken as the expression of a personal emotion, opinion or attitude.
2.4.1 Expressive meaning
On a par with descriptive and social meaning, expressive meaning is part of the lexical meaning of certain expressions,a semantic quality of words and phrases independent of the CoU and of the way they are being spoken.
Exclusively expressive meaning: words and phrases used for directly expressing an emotion, feeling or sensation.(ouch, wow, oh)
2.4.2 Social versus expressive meaning
The use of terms and forms with social meaning is governed by rules of social conduct. They define what kind of social circumstances make suitable occasions for using the expression and they define what its use is taken for: a greeting, an apology, a polite or intimate way of referring to other person...
The use of terms with expressive meaning is governed by different criteria which concern only the subjective adequacy of expressing one's personal feelings, attitudes...
2.5 Connotations
If an expression has descriptive meaning, any mention of it will activate not only the concept for its potential referents but together with it a host of further associations. Among the associations, some are conventional. They are called connotations and often considered to be something like a secondary meaning in addition to the primary lexical meaning.
It is more appropriate to consider connotations to be connected not to the word itself(like meaning) but rather to the actual denotation.
(to be continued after reading again...)
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