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Philosophy of Language - PDF

   

Added on  2021-04-24

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LinguisticsWhat are sense and reference and why are they important in the understanding of meaning?
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IntroductionIn language, semantics focuses on the study of meaning. It is common to come across words withthe same meaning. For example, ‘Morning Star’ may refer to a known scientific object in the universe. It may also imply a shining star that appears in the morning. When defining or understanding meaning, different ideas come to mind. This depends on the words or phrases usedin its description[CITATION Bas13 \p 78 \l 1033 ]. Semantic properties define a word, sentence or object. When denoting the meaning of something, reference is made concerning it. A description made in the sense of another reference could be its basic meaning, abstract or constant intension. On the other hand, sense refers to the intra-linguistic relations in elements such as words describing an object, or punctuations[ CITATION Sea58 \l 1033 ]. For example, ‘a shooting star refers’ to the movement of a shiny object that looks like a star falling from the sky. In this case, sense brings out meaning according to how people see an object. Sometimes a meaning could have two senses. A ‘shooting star’ could also have a literal meaning of a star that shoots. A Stalinwas a political leader in Russia; he also led an army, had a family and led revolutions. In this case, Stalin is a noun referring to all these senses. Sense verses Reference Sense is the intended reference in a context[ CITATION Dum81 \l 1033 ]. Names may make sense in different ways depending on the reference factor. This explains why a mother may also be an aunt, a sister and a grandmother to different references. The difference between sense and reference lies in the translations. Some words or terms in one language may have a different meaning in English. Sometimes a meaning may cover just a small part of an impression. A reference has common recognition and the public is familiar with it. This means that it is easily
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recognizable by most people and not just one person. In this case, it does not require any association with an individual’s perception.A sense points at a certain reference, an association that provides a clear description of something with a clarity that convinces and gives the listener a good idea of what it is. Sense does not have an obvious object of reference[CITATION Fre \l 1033 ]. Some words may have sense but lack referents. An example of these includes a flying horse, which may not have an existing reference to it. This allows the listener to go through a wild imagination of something strange, which may not be in existence. When deriving meaning through sense, people make reference of something that is real even though it may not be so. Its existence in the mind gives it some sort of literal meaning. It is possible to refer to a dinosaur as real because of the existing scientific theories and museum skeletons of gigantic animals that were once living in real life. Creation of meaning through sense takes a process of imagining as well as creating or inventing. This is not the case with references because they are public and do not depend on people. Definitions may describe sense or create a reference point. However, reference allows the thinkerto explore an existing object. This allows the person to visualize using and ideal point. Unlike reference, sense does not have an assurance of a conceivable idea. However, it provides a guide or an idea that juggles people’s mind. This explains why ‘a truck’ and ‘a lorry’ will represent the same thing depending on the English translation.Reference and LinguisticsReference in Linguistics represents a connection between a linguistic element such as a word, sentence or expression and the real world or non-linguistic element[ CITATION Mus05 \l 1033 ]. A reference may be perceptual or visible as an object. In this case, some objects may be imaginary
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