Towards an interpretation of the concept ‘meaning’

Abstract

In the first section of this article two terms which are very often encountered in semantics are discussed, i.e. reference and sense. Thereafter, some difficulties which arise when the concept ‘meaning’ has to be defined are outlined. Finally, a suggestion by Leech as to how some of these difficulties can be overcome is reflected upon: Leech suggests that ‘meaning’ in its broadest sense should be broken down into seven subtypes, since such a subdivision facilitates the interpretation of the concept ‘meaning’ in general. These seven types of meaning are discussed and illustrated with examples from Northern Sotho whenever possible.