Meaning as a linguistic notion

Meaning as a linguistic notion
Analytical or referential definition of meaning;
Functional or contextual definition of meaning;
Operational or information-oriented definition of meaning.

The semantic triangle
Ferdinand de Saussure
The word as a linguistic sign
Referential approach
C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards
https://vimeo.com/24512519

Word
is not only the form of the linguistic sign but also its meaning and what it refers to
I. Arnold

Lexical meaning
“The meaning of the word is a certain reflection of the object, phenomenon or relation in the mind of language users, which creates the internal part of the word structure, and, in reference to this structure, the sound form is the material shell of the word, which is necessary not only for reflecting the meaning and sending the message to other members of the society, but for creating of the word itself, its formation, existence and development.”
(M.Ivchenko, 1956)

Kinds of meaning
Lyons (1977)
Leech (1981)
'descriptive meaning',
'social meaning',
'expressive meaning'

Reference, denotation, sense
Lyons (1977: 207) defines the d e n o t a t i o n of a lexeme as:
the relationship that holds between that lexeme and persons, things, places, properties, processes and activities external to the language-system.
Denotatum* - the class of objects, properties, etc., to which the expression correctly applies.
The denotation of a lexeme is independent of the concrete circumstances of an utterance.

Reference, denotation, sense
Re f e r e n c e
the relationship which holds between an expression and what that expression stands for on particular occasions of its utterance.

Reference, denotation, sense
G. Frege (1970[1892])
The reference (or "referent"; Bedeutung) of a proper name is the object it means or indicates (bedeuten), its sense (Sinn) is what the name expresses.
Beethoven’s home town
and
The former capital of the Deutschland’s Republic
both have the same reference, Bonn, but different sense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIGkWd9_Dk
Sense is mental representation of the type of thing that can be used to refer to (A.Cruse).
Sense is a matter of the relations between a word and other words in a language. (J.Lyons). Sense is an interlexical or intralingual relation; it defines relations within the same language. Denotation relates expressions to classes of entities in the world.
There is no such animal as unicorn
unicorn has no denotation, but nevertheless have sense

Concepts which have no reference although they have sense;
Myth creatures: ‘unicorn’ or ‘phoenix’
Functional words: a, in, and…
He seems a nice man’
Abstract nouns: love, hate, idea…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpXHxBK2ac&t=160s

Searle (1969:81) "definite reference"
1. Proper names, e.g. Socrates, Ukraine;
2. Complex noun phrases in the singular - often with a definite article - a category that is normally termed definite descriptions in philosophy, e.g. the m a n who called, John's brother;
3. Pronouns, e.g. this, that, I, he, she, it;
4. Titles, e.g. the P r i m e M i n i s t e r , the Pope.

Functional or contextual definition of meaning
(L.Bloomfield)
defining meaning in the situation in which the word is used;
Context is the minimum stretch of speech necessary and sufficient to determine the meaning of the word;
e.g. to take a seat vs. to take to sth
Meaning is understood as a function of a linguistic unit

Operational or information-oriented definition of meaning
defining meaning through its role in the process of communication;
Meaning is information conveyed from the speaker to the listener in the process of communication.
e.g. John came at 6.
Beside the direct meaning the sentence may imply that:
He was late
He failed to keep his promise
He was punctual as usual
He came but he didn’t want to