ABSTRACT
Semantics (also called semasiology) is dened as the study of meaning. The terms originate from derivatives of the Greek verb semaino (“to mean” or “to signify”); “semantics” is derived from semantikos (“signicant”), “semasiology” is derived from semasia (“signication”) + logos (“account”) (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006). Meaning is dened as “the customary signicance attached to the use of a word, phrase, or sentence, including both its literal sense and its emotive associations” (Free On-Line Dictionary of Philosophy, 2002). Meaning should not be confused with knowledge, although the distinction between them is not always easy to draw. More specically, dictionaries are supposed to convey the meaning of a term, whereas encyclopedias include scientic and technical knowledge (Wierzbicka, 1996).
