Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Constitutive components of the text and their syntactic
and semantic relationships
Shakhruza BEKHZODOVA
1
Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received March 2025
Received in revised form
10
April 2025
Accepted 2 April 2025
Available online
25 May 2025
Human communication relies heavily on meaning. Semantics
is a controversial topic of study. Linguists are still unable to
agree on a single, viable definition of semantics. The ongoing
debate over semantics has resulted in numerous attempts to
define it. This study focuses on the semantic roles of words in
context, using an extensionalist theoretical framework.
According to this view, language is a collection of words used in
context to improve communication among those who share the
same language. Given the foregoing, the research primarily
examines the functions of words in communication within a
particular context. Technical terminology used for analytical
purposes includes agent, theme, and instrument. The study
reiterates that every lexical word has meaning, but how it is
used in society affects how we communicate daily.
2181-3701/© 2025 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss5
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
components,
text,
derivation,
meaning,
context,
pragmatic feature.
Matnning tarkibiy qismlari va ularning sintaktik va
semantik munosabatlari
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
komponentlar,
matn,
derivatsiya,
ma’no,
kontekst,
pragmatik xususiyat.
Insoniy muloqot ko‘p jihatdan ma’noga tayanadi. Semantika
esa bahsli va murakkab tadqiqot yo‘nalishidir. Tilshunoslar
hozirgacha semantikani yagona va hayotga tatbiq etiladigan
tarzda ta’riflash borasida yakdil fikrga kela olmayapti.
Bu boradagi uzluksiz munozaralar uni aniqlashga qaratilgan
turli nazariy yondashuvlarning shakllanishiga sabab bo‘lgan.
Mazkur tadqiqot ekstensialistik nazariy yondashuv asosida
kontekstdagi so‘zlarning semantik rollarini o‘rganishga
qaratilgan. Ushbu nuqtai nazarga ko‘ra, til – bu bir xil til
sohiblari o‘rtasidagi muloqotni samaraliroq amalga oshirish
uchun kontekstda qo‘llaniladigan so‘zlar tizimidir.
1
PhD Student, Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
199
Shu asosda, tadqiqot avvalo ma’lum bir kontekstdagi
muloqot jarayonida so‘zlarning vazifalarini tahlil qiladi. Analitik
maqsadlarda agent, mavzu, vosita kabi texnik terminlardan
foydalaniladi.
Har bir leksik birlik ma’noga ega – bu tadqiqotda yana bir
bor ta’kidlanadi – biroq u qanday ijtimoiy kontekstda va qanday
shaklda qo‘llanilishiga qarab, kundalik muloqotimizga sezilarli
darajada ta’sir ko‘rsatadi.
Составные части текста и их синтаксические и
семантические связи
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
компоненты,
текст,
деривация,
значение,
контекст,
прагматический признак.
Человеческое общение во многом зависит от смысла.
Семантика – сложная и до сих пор спорная область
лингвистики. Учёные до сих пор не пришли к единому,
универсально признанному определению этого понятия.
Продолжающиеся дискуссии привели к множеству
попыток формулировки её сущности.
Настоящее исследование сосредоточено на изучении
семантических ролей слов в контексте, опираясь на
экстенсионалистскую теоретическую модель. С этой точки
зрения язык рассматривается как система слов,
используемых в конкретных ситуациях для улучшения
коммуникации между носителями одного языка.
Исходя из этого, исследование в первую очередь
анализирует функции слов в рамках контекстуального
общения.
Для
проведения
анализа
используется
специализированная терминология, включающая такие
понятия, как агент, тема, инструмент и другие
семантические роли.
Каждое лексическое слово обладает значением, однако
именно способ его употребления в обществе влияет на то,
как формируется и осуществляется повседневное общение.
INTRODUCTION
The concept of meaning in semantics has long been debated. Philosophers and
contemporary linguists continue to struggle to establish an agreement on the nature of
meaning as it relates to human language. Lord (1966) stated that meaning is fraught with
ambiguity, conflict, and contradiction. The challenge of finding a universally accepted
definition has led to numerous attempts to redefine it. A definition of Semantics could
serve as a useful starting point for this inquiry.
Semantics derives from the Greek word "semantikos," meaning "significant," and
refers to the study of meaning through language and philosophy. It examines how words,
phrases, signs, and symbols represent their meanings. Agbedo (2015) defines semantics
as the study of meaning. The author defines language proficiency as the ability of native
or fluent speakers to use and comprehend diverse grammatical constructs in words and
phrases. Semantics in linguistics involves interpreting signs in a certain context.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
200
Semantics is a subfield that investigates the meaning of semiotics and the relationships
between linguistic units and compounds, including homonymy, synonymy, antonymy,
hypernymy, hyponymy, menomyny, metonymy, and homonymy.
METHODS AND RESULTS
The two definitions above are fundamentally about meaning. The study of
semantics is linked to the concept of meaning. It is critical to ask what the meaning is. In
light of this, the focus of this research is on semantic roles as an underlying aspect in
elucidating and/or interpreting words in communication. Semantic duties have been a
source of debate over time. The study aims to confirm that language is functional and
word meaning is context-dependent.
What is the meaning?
Every definition remains an attempt and inadequate, as there is always a vacuum
to be filled. Nevertheless, Palmer (1981) defines meaning as a concept or idea which can
be transferred from the mind of the speaker to the mind of the bearer by emdiving
them, as it were, in the forms of language or another. Critics dismissed the above, coupled
with the claim that it is too vague or too general to support the weight needed by its role
as the cornerstone in the traditional conceptualist theory of meaning.
Katz (1972) asserts that several attempts to give a direct response to meaning
have met challenges. Besides, too many theories complicate the concept of meaning, for
example referential theory, the stimulus response theory, and the use theory. Each theory
tends to identify or give meaning to a sentence constituent with some extremely
observable object, event, or act.
In the recent past, Linguists preoccupied themselves with lexical meaning more
than the sentence. Bienwisch (1969) observes that the study of ‘meaning’ deals with the
way words and sentences are related to objects and processes in the world and, on the
other with the way in which they are related to one another in terms of such notions as
synonyms, entailments, and contradiction [4.3p].
Lexeme and sentence provide complementary functions. A clause or sentence's
meaning is determined by its constituent lexeme and the context in which it appears.
According to renowned philosopher Weitingenstien, the meaning of a word or statement
is typically associated with its use. Lyons (1969) describes goals rather than definitions.
Semantic analysis explains how sentences in a specific language are understood,
interpreted, and connected to state, processes, and things in the verse.
In education, understanding the meaning of a statement and its relevance to other
expressions requires knowledge of lexical components and their interrelationships.
Because the fundamental components of meaning in any language are functional, words
should not be viewed as 'containers' of meaning (Yule, 1996). Instead, they should be
considered for their roles within a sentence's context.
Carnap (1956) proposed two methods for analyzing word meanings in natural
language, assuming that lexical items are not indefinable.
1. Meaning Postulates
2. Semantic components into which the lexical meaning is analyzed [4.4p].
The meaning of a lexical item is roughly defined by the set of meaning postulates in
which it occurs. Katz and Foder (1963) and Bienwish (1969) define the meaning of a
lexical element directly in terms of semantic components. The component is not a part of
the vocabulary, but rather theoretical pieces used to define the semantic relationships
between lexical items in a language (logical constraints).
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
201
The study aims to support an extensive analytical approach to language by
examining how words are employed in context. Language is functional, and the meaning
of a lexeme is best understood contextually.
Semantic Roles
A semantic role is an encoder's underlying idea or knowledge that corresponds to
the actions that words take in a given context. Aside from the language encoding of that
scenario, it is the actual activity performed by the person in some real or imagined
situation. It is also known as the underlying relationship between a patient and the main
verb in a phrase. Gawron (2013) defines semantic roles as the roles players play in
events and circumstances. They are part of the content of linguistic communication;
therefore, they are defined in terms of prototypes, and the labels we assign to them are
useful approximations of semantic functions. Jurafsky and Martin (2015) define
representations as the abstract role that predicate arguments can play in an event, which
can be highly specific. There are several types of semantic roles. Jurasfky and Martin
(2015) note the following:
Agent: volitional causes of an event
Experiencer experiences an event
Force, the non-volitional causer of the event
Theme: the participant directly affected by an event
Result: it is the end product of an event. Beneficiary: the beneficiary of an event
Source: the origin of the object of a transfer event. Goal: the destination of an
object of a transfer event. Accompaniment: This is a semantic role of a thing that
participates in a close association with an agent, cause or affected in an event
Locative – identifies the location or spatial orientation of a state or action [4. 4p]
INNER ROLE
In characterizing semantic roles, inner roles play an important part; in order to
classify verbs, a clear difference between roles that are closely related to the verb and
those that are not should be made. For instance, all verbs may accept the best noun
phrase in a particular inner role. Multiple noun phrases must be joined with a
conjunction. Binding verbs may be considered inner roles. Consider this:
Yebo and Yetu went to the River. (Valid)
Yebo, Yetu went to the River. (Invalid) [4.5p].
Characteristics of Semantic Roles.
Semantic roles (SR), also known as thematic roles (TR), seek to uncover
similarities and differences in verb meaning that are represented in argument expression
through emergent generalizations that contribute to the mapping from semantics to
syntax.
The characteristics of SR:
a. Completeness; the argument of every verb is designated TR or the other.
b. Uniqueness; designated only on TR.
c. Distinctiveness; every verb is differentiated from the other argument by the role
it is assigned.
d. Independence; each role is given a consistent semantic definition that applies to
all verbs and all situations.
Theory of Semantic Roles
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
202
Scholars throughout history have questioned the legitimacy and appropriateness
of the theoretical position of the semantic role in linguistic theory. Should semantic roles
be considered syntactic, lexical, semantic, or conceptual entities, or as a primordial aspect
of language knowledge? (1968; 77). Despite current debate, widespread understanding
recognizes semantic roles as conceptual aspects (Jac. 1990). The study focuses on the
roles of words in context, hence a linguistic theory that explores word meaning is
appropriate. Lexical semantics is a theory that emphasizes meaning in context.
DISCUSSION
According to Cruse (1986), the meaning of a word is determined by its contextual
relation; thus, a distinction is drawn between degrees of involvement and codes of
participation. He distinguishes sentence constituents as any part that integrates
meanings from other constituents. The term "minimal semantic constituent" refers to
semantic constituents that cannot be split down into more elementary constituents.
Obviously, words and sentences perform complementary roles; therefore, words
should not be viewed as reservoirs of meaning, but rather as how they interrelate within
a certain context. The semantic role refers to a participant's underlying relationship with
the word (verb) in a clause. Semantic role refers to the actual role a participant plays in a
real-world scenario, not only the verbal representation of the circumstance.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the importance of assigning lexeme roles as a formative
aspect of effective communication. Successful communication should consider both
denotative and connotative word knowledge, which must be coordinated with the
context of the interaction. Each lexical word carries meaning, but its social application
and role can significantly affect communication effectiveness. Communication, whether
written or verbal, aims to convey meaning. To avoid ambiguity, misinterpretation, or
misconception, the semantic responsibilities of words in different situations must be
carefully explained. Words have various roles in daily encounters, both formal and
informal, due to their multifunctionality and polysemous nature. In other words, words
can have multiple meanings.
REFERENCES:
1.
Carnap, R. (1956). A study in semantics and modal logic (enlarged edition).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2.
Cruber, J. (1976). Studies in lexical relations. MIT: doctoral dissertation and
lexical structures in syntax and semantics. North Holland.
3.
Jurafsky, D. & Martin, J. H. (2015). Speech and language processing: An
introduction to language processing, speech recognition, and computational linguistics.
(2nd edition). London: Prentice Hall.
4.
Joseph Akanya. “Meaning and semantic roles of words in context”. March-2019. 10p
5.
Kartz,J. (1972). Semantic theory. New York: Harper and Row
6.
Khayrullaev K. Z. The relation of word, word composition and sentence to the
predicativeness //Abstract of candidate dissertation. –Tashkent. – 2001.
7.
Turniyozov N., Turniyozova K., Xayrullayev X. Struktur sintaksis asoslari
//Samarqand: SamDCHTI. – 2009.
8.
Wittegeinstien, L. (1953). Philosophical investigations into language. Oxford:
Blackwell
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
203
9.
Хайруллаев Х. З. Сўз, сўз бирикмаси ва гапнинг предикативликка
муносабати // Номзод. дис автореферати. Тошкент. – 2001.
10.
Хайруллаев Х. О лингвистической природе уровней языка и речи //
Вопросы филологических наук. – 2009. – №. 2. – С. 78-79.
11.
Хайруллаев Х. Предикативлик ҳодисаси ва унинг ифода объектлари. –
2002.
12.
Жумаев, О. (2022). Сложное синтаксическое целое с присоединительными
связами (на материале современного немецкого языка). Современные
лингвистические исследования: зарубежный опыт, перспективные исследования и
инновационные методы преподавания языков, (1), 27-29.
