Consistency of Semantic Meaning with Structure and Context in English Writing

申倩倩

摘要： As one of the basic language skills， writing plays an important role in developing English proficiency and it can reflect on learners language application abilities. In spite of large quantities of time and energy spent in English Writing ， writing performances are still far from satisfactory. In order to enhance the writing ability of English learners， the paper will discusses consistency of semantic meaning with structure and context in English writing.

關鍵詞： English writing， consistency， semantic meaning， structure， context

Introduction

Writing is usually considered as the most complex and the most difficult skill to develop. And an excellent writing should be characterized by the relevance of rich content， smooth language， proper words， appropriate expression， clear reflection and coherent text. However， taking into account that the requirements of English writing are increasingly higher， we should attach more importance to consistency of semantic meaning with structure and context in English writing.

1.Semantic Meaning in English Writing

Linguistic semantics is the study of meaning that is used by humans to express themselves through language. Semantic meaning is the common object of study in semantics. It is often used in ordinary language to denote a problem of understanding that comes down to word selection or connotation. In English writing， semantic meaning is the smallest unit of the writing and semantics is study of the meaning of words and sentences. In order to recognize the essence of language and the relationship between language and thought in writing， learners should study semantic meaning deeply.

While writing， special attention should be paid not only to the direct， superficial， and the general meaning of the words， but also to the intention and special meaning， so as to avoid misunderstanding. In written language， some things as paragraph structure and punctuation have semantic content; in other forms of language， there is other semantic content. The structure and the function of the semantic meaning in different writing are also different.

2.Structure in English Writing

Structure provides framework and analysis of language for the English learners. We can divide the structure into two parts： sentence and discourse structure.

Sentence structure is made of particular elements， such as subject， predicate verb， object and so on， which are ordered in particular ways. In English writing， it is indispensable for writers to choose the excellent and appropriate sentence structure.

Discourse structure is “used to refer to the structure of some postulated unit higher than the sentence”. For texts of different themes， different structures should be adopted to display the introduction， the body and conclusion.

3.Context in English Writing

“Context refers to the situation depending on which language is able to exist and develop， and language communication is able to be carried out.” When we use a language， we must consider its situation and culture.

Generally speaking， language is influenced by culture and reflects culture. As a second language， English requires more of the understanding of cross-cultural difference， which could help English learners away from making mistakes in their writings. And it is also of great significance to set up the different contexts of language according to the specific contents.

4.The Significance of Consistency of Semantic Meaning with Structure and Context in English Writing

In English writing， the consistency of semantic meaning with structure and context plays an important role in expressing information. Semantic meaning can express information clearly; and the structure can contribute to form an organized and special article; context can convey the thought of author accurately. In order to satisfy the requirements of good English writing ， three items are interrelated and inseparable. So in the English writing， the semantic meaning should be consistent with structure and context.

5.Conclusion

As one of the basic language skills， writing plays an important role in developing English proficiency and it can reflect on learners language application abilities. By the analysis of English writing， it can lead us to a deep understanding of the choice of words， the building of sentences and the overall arrangement of the layout， and thus help to produce a more excellent English writing.

References

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