语义学期末论文.docx

The Relation and Difference between Semantics and Pragmatics in the Study of Meaning
Y20100131邵晓巍
Abstract: The trichotomy of syntax, semantics and pragmatics is one of the most popular ways of subdividing the study of human languages. It was originally suggested by Charles Morris in Morris (1938) and later again in a revised form in Morris (1946). Among the three subdisciplines of linguistics, semantics and pragmatics are so close in that they are both concerned with the study of meaning. Even so, they are different in the study of meaning. But their close relationship has made it difficult to set a clear boundary between them in the study of meaning and the distinction
between them in this respect has puzzled and is still puzzling linguists and philosophers of language (Jef, 2000). This paper tries to explore preliminarily the relation and difference between semantics and pragmatics in the study of meaning.
Key words: semantics; pragmatics; relation; distinction
1 Introduction
In the early 1970s, some linguists attempted to take semantics as the basis
for the study of linguistics to replace the central position of syntax. As a result, this movement enhances the rapid development of semantics, which focuses on the study of meaning in language. The further study into semantics made linguists realize the importance of context in the study of meaning. Once context was ta