Editing Semantics (section)

=== Meaning ===
Semantics studies meaning in language, which is limited to the meaning of linguistic expressions. It concerns how signs are [[Interpretation (philosophy)|interpreted]] and what [[information]] they contain. An example is the meaning of words provided in [[dictionary]] definitions by giving synonymous expressions or paraphrases, like defining the meaning of the term ''ram'' as ''adult male sheep''.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|pp=530–531}} | {{harvnb|Yule|2010|pp=113–114}} }}</ref> There are many forms of non-linguistic meaning that are not examined by semantics. Actions and policies can have meaning in relation to the goal they serve. Fields like [[religion]] and [[spirituality]] are interested in the [[meaning of life]], which is about finding a purpose in life or the significance of [[existence]] in general.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Leach|Tartaglia|2018|pp=274–275}} | {{harvnb|Cunningham|2009|p=526}} | {{harvnb|Löbner|2013|pp=1–2}} | {{harvnb|Seachris|loc=§ 2a. The Meanings of 'Meaning'}} }}</ref>

[[File:Latin dictionary.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of a dictionary|Semantics is not focused on subjective speaker meaning and is instead interested in public meaning, like the meaning found in general dictionary definitions.]]

Linguistic meaning can be analyzed on different levels. [[Word meaning]] is studied by [[lexical semantics]] and investigates the denotation of individual words. It is often related to [[concept]]s of entities, like how the word ''dog'' is associated with the concept of the four-legged domestic animal. Sentence meaning falls into the field of phrasal semantics and concerns the denotation of full sentences. It usually expresses a concept applying to a type of situation, as in the sentence "the dog has ruined my blue skirt".<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Riemer|2010|pp=21–22}} | {{harvnb|Griffiths|Cummins|2023|pp=5–6}} | {{harvnb|Löbner|2013|pp=1–6, 18–21}} }}</ref> The meaning of a sentence is often referred to as a [[proposition]].<ref>{{harvnb|Tondl|2012|p=111}}</ref> Different sentences can express the same proposition, like the English sentence "the tree is green" and the German sentence {{lang|de|"der Baum ist grün"}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Olkowski|Pirovolakis|2019|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FhaGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT65 65–66]}}</ref> Utterance meaning is studied by pragmatics and is about the meaning of an expression on a particular occasion. Sentence meaning and utterance meaning come apart in cases where expressions are used in a non-literal way, as is often the case with [[irony]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Riemer|2010|pp=21–22}} | {{harvnb|Griffiths|Cummins|2023|pp=5–6}} | {{harvnb|Löbner|2013|pp=1–6}} | {{harvnb|Saeed|2009|pp=12–13}} }}</ref>

Semantics is primarily interested in the public meaning that expressions have, like the meaning found in general dictionary definitions. Speaker meaning, by contrast, is the private or subjective meaning that individuals associate with expressions. It can diverge from the literal meaning, like when a person associates the word ''needle'' with pain or drugs.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Yule|2010|p=113}} | {{harvnb|Griffiths|Cummins|2023|pp=5–6}} }}</ref>