SENTENTIAL SEMANTICS
WRITING BY
BASSEY VICTORIA INNOCENT
UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO.
FEBUARY, 2025.
INTRODUCTION
Sentential semantics, also known as sentence-level meaning, is a branch of
semantics that focuses on how meanings are conveyed through entire sentences
rather than individual words. While lexical semantics deals with word meanings,
sentential semantics explores how words interact to form coherent meanings at the
sentence level. It examines the various relationships between sentences and how they
contribute to communication, interpretation, and understanding.
At the sentence level, meaning is shaped by factors such as syntax, context, and
logical relations. Sentences may share meaning through paraphrase, exhibit multiple
interpretations due to ambiguity, or even become meaningless due to incompatible
word combinations. Some sentences carry presuppositions or entailments, which
provide hidden layers of meaning, while others may be tautologous or redundant,
adding little new information. The analysis of these relations helps in understanding
how language conveys information effectively and how meaning is structured across
different linguistic expressions.
This study explores key aspects of sentential semantics, including paraphrase,
ambiguity, vagueness, tautology, redundancy, presupposition, entailment, anomaly,
contradiction, analyticity, and proposition. By examining these meaning relations, we
gain deeper insights into how sentences function within human communication,
highlighting the complexities of meaning construction in natural language.
SENTENTIAL SEMANTICS OR MEANING RELATION AT THE SENTENCE
LEVEL
Sentential semantics is a subfield of semantics that deals with how the meanings of
sentences arise from the arrangement and interaction of words within them. At the
sentence level, the meaning of a sentence is not just a sum of the meanings of individual
words but is influenced by how words are structured and how they interact with one
another. This interaction leads to various types of meaning relations such as paraphrase,
ambiguity, anomaly, entailment, redundancy, contradiction, tautology, analyticity,
presupposition, and vagueness. Let’s break down each of these concepts in greater detail.
PARAPHRASE
A paraphrase refers to a situation in which two or more sentences have the same
meaning. When two sentences express the same proposition or idea, they are considered
paraphrases of each other. Paraphrasing can involve either changing the vocabulary or
adjusting the structure of the sentence. Paraphrases convey the same information and
therefore have the same semantic entailments (the implications that follow from their
truth).
TYPES OF PARAPHRASES
Lexical Paraphrase: This occurs when one word or phrase in a sentence is replaced with
another word or phrase, but the meaning stays the same. Lexical paraphrases involve
synonyms or near-synonyms.
Example 1: “The chef hired a bachelor” → “The chef hired an unmarried man.”
Example 2: “The man was agitated” → “The man was anxious.”
Structural Paraphrase: This involves changing the structure or syntax of a sentence while
maintaining the same meaning. This can include transformations like cleft sentences or
passive constructions.
Example 1: “They bought a new apartment” → “It was a new apartment that they
bought.”
Example 2: “The man slapped the girl” → “The girl was slapped by the man.”
AMBIGUITY
Ambiguity refers to a situation where a sentence or phrase can be interpreted in multiple
ways. Ambiguous sentences have more than one meaning due to the structure of the
sentence or the meaning of certain words. Ambiguity can arise from either the words
themselves or the structure of the sentence. There are two main types of ambiguity:
TYPES OF AMBIGUITY
Lexical Ambiguity: This occurs when a specific word in a sentence has multiple meanings.
Example 1: “The man has broken his glasses” could mean that the man has broken his
spectacles or that he has broken drinking glasses.
Example 2: “The girl came to the bank” could mean that the girl arrived at the **financial
institution or that she came to the side of a river.
Structural (Grammatical) Ambiguity: This arises when the structure of the sentence allows
for multiple interpretations, often due to the placement of words or phrases.
Example 1: “The man fought with us” can mean that the man fought against us or that the
man fought for us.
Example 2: “Visiting friends can be boring” could mean that friends who visit are boring or
that it is boring to visit friends.
VAGUENESS
A sentence is **vague** when its meaning is unclear or imprecise, even if it is
grammatically well-formed. Vagueness often arises because certain words or phrases are
not clearly defined, leading to interpretations that depend on the context. Vagueness can
make communication less effective, especially when the meaning of a statement is not
sufficiently precise.
Example 1: “Colourless green ideas sleep furiously together.” This sentence is
grammatically correct but lacks logical meaning because of the combination of
incompatible words like “colourless,” “green,” and “ideas.”
Example 2: “The stones consoled her.” This is an example of personification, as stones
(which are inanimate) are given human-like qualities (the ability to console).
TAUTOLOGY
A tautology is the repetition of an idea or concept within a sentence, often resulting in
redundancy. Tautologies do not add new or additional information and may simply restate
the same fact in different words. They are often used for emphasis but can be
uninformative or unnecessarily repetitive.
Example 1: “The dead girl is not alive.” (The word “dead” already implies that the girl is not
alive.)
Example 2: “The blind man cannot see.” (The word “blind” already implies the inability to
see.)
Example 3: “The bachelor has not been married.” (The word “bachelor” implies that the
person is unmarried.)
REDUNDANCY
Redundancy refers to the inclusion of linguistic units in a sentence that do not contribute
additional meaning or information. A redundant element is not needed because its
removal would not affect the overall meaning of the sentence. Redundancy often results in
unnecessary repetition of concepts.
Example 1: “The house is white in colour.” (The phrase “in colour” is redundant because
“white” already refers to the color.)
Example 2: “The children are four in number.” (The phrase “in number” is redundant
because “four” already specifies the number.)
Example 3: “They vowed to restore back their honour.” (The word “back” is redundant
because “restore” already implies a return to the original state.)
PRESUPPOSITION
Presupposition is an implicit assumption that a speaker makes, which the listener is
expected to already know or accept. It is background knowledge that both parties share,
and it is crucial for interpreting the conversation. Presuppositions typically remain
constant even if the sentence is negated or altered.
Example: "John: Are you able to bring Harry along? Peter: That will be splendid. On our
way, we shall pick up the drinks."
The presupposition here is that both John and Peter know who Harry is and are familiar
with the drinks. This information is taken for granted as part of their shared background
knowledge.
ENTAILMENT
Entailment refers to a relationship between two propositions where the truth of one
sentence guarantees the truth of another. In entailment, if the first sentence (X) is true,
the second sentence (Y) must also be true. It represents a kind of logical connection
between two statements.
Example 1: "John was buried today" (X) entails "John died" (Y). If John was buried, he
must have died.
Example 2: "Mary has a husband" (X) entails "Mary is married" (Y). If Mary has a husband,
she must be married.
ANOMALY
Anomaly occurs when two words or concepts in a sentence conflict in meaning, making
the sentence semantically odd or incoherent. Even if the sentence is grammatically
correct, it may not make sense because certain words are incompatible.
Example 1: “A long man” is anomalous because the word "long" typically describes
horizontal objects, not people (who are typically described as “tall”).
Example 2: “A tall snake” is anomalous because "tall" is usually used for upright things,
whereas snakes are generally described as “long.”
CONTRADICTION
A contradiction occurs when two propositions in a sentence cannot both be true at the
same time. Contradictory statements present opposing ideas that cannot coexist in the
same situation or context.
Example 1: “That circular house is rectangular.” A house cannot simultaneously be both
circular and rectangular.
Example 2: “The drains are flooded because there are no rains.” Flooding usually occurs as
a result of rain, so the two ideas contradict each other.
ANALYTICITY
Analyticity refers to sentences that are necessarily true due to the meaning of their
words.These sentences are true by definition, and their truth does not depend on external
circumstances or the state of the world.
Example 1: "Churches are usually attended by Christians." This is analytically true because
"church" refers to a place where Christians typically gather.
Example 2: "Unmarried ladies are spinsters." This is analytically true because “spinster” is
defined as an unmarried woman.
ANOMALY/MEANINGLESSNESS
Anomaly or meaninglessness occurs when a sentence contains incompatible words or
phrases, leading to a lack of meaning, even if the sentence is grammatically correct. Such
sentences may appear nonsensical or illogical.
Example 1: “The man slapped the sky.” (The verb "slapped" is incompatible with the noun
"sky," making the sentence meaningless.)
Example 2: “Peter swallowed the advice.” (The verb "swallowed" is incompatible with the
noun "advice," creating a semantically odd sentence.)
PROPOSITION
A proposition is the fundamental unit of meaning in a declarative sentence. It represents
the state of affairs described by the sentence and contains the core assertion made by the
speaker. Propositions are typically made up of entities and claims about those entities.
Example 1: “Peter went to school.” (The proposition is that Peter went to school.)
Example 2: “I am not eating.” (The proposition is that I am currently not eating.)
Example 3: “Mary has arrived.” (The proposition is that Mary has arrived.)
CONCLUSION
Sentential semantics plays a crucial role in linguistic analysis by examining how
meaning is structured at the sentence level. The various meaning relations
discussed—paraphrase, ambiguity, entailment, presupposition, contradiction,
tautology, redundancy, anomaly, analyticity, and proposition—illustrate the intricate
ways in which sentences convey information. Understanding these relationships
enhances our ability to interpret language correctly, resolve ambiguities, and avoid
misunderstandings in communication.
Additionally, this study highlights the significance of syntactic structures, word
choices, and logical implications in shaping sentence meaning. While some
sentences are clear and straightforward, others require contextual or inferential
reasoning for proper interpretation. By analyzing sentence-level meaning relations,
we improve not only our linguistic competence but also our ability to engage in
effective communication.
As language continues to evolve, the study of sentential semantics remains
essential for fields such as linguistics, artificial intelligence, natural language
processing, philosophy, and cognitive science. Further research into meaning
relations can contribute to advancements in machine translation, discourse
analysis, and language learning, making communication more precise and effective
across different human languages.
REFERENCES
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Ndimele, O. M. (1997). Semantics and the Frontiers of Communication. University
of Port Harcourt Press.
Saeed, J. I. (2016). Semantics (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
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