Consistency of Semantic Meaning with Structure and Context in English Writing

李星辰

摘要： Writing ability is an important goal of language learning. As one of the basic requirements of English writing， consistency refers to the integrity of the content and the organic connection of various parts. Consistency is an important feature of English writing， which is closely related to the writing form of the article and affects the quality of the article and readers' understanding of the article. Structurally， coherence can be divided into coherence within sentences， coherence within paragraphs and coherence between paragraphs. In this paper， the consistency of the semantic meaning with structure and context in the essay writing is analyzed.

關键词：Consistency; Semantic; Structure; Context; English writing

Ⅰ. Introduction

Writing ability is one of the main goals of language learning and an important indicator of a person's language ability and language application ability. In real life， people usually think that writing has dual characteristics： on the one hand， as one of the two output skills， writing can act as an important way of communication; on the other hand， in language activities， it can complement， promote and improve with other language skills. Chinese articles emphasize semantic relevance， while English articles emphasize the integrity and consistency of content. Consistency of content is the basic requirement of an English article and also the goal of writing.

In this paper，we will discuss the following points： we are going to introduce the definition of consistency， semantic meaning， and context， in order to have a more systematic understanding of the English writing. Then we are going to have a further discussion to illustrate the significance of consistency of semantic meaning with structure and context in English writing.

Ⅱ. The Relationship between Semantic Meaning and Context

Speech activities are always carried out in a certain environment in real life. Therefore， from the perspective of semantics， only the specific meaning shown in speech expression is in language practice， and there is no general abstract meaning in language system. Speech meaning can always be determined in a certain context. Therefore， the relationship between semantics and context is inseparable.

Putting semantics in context is actually the meaning of speech. As mentioned above， verbal meaning refers to the specific meaning expressed and understood by some specific communicators in a particular communicative environment. Stern said in his article "Change of Meaning and Meaning"： "Understanding every word is based not only on the word itself， but also on a large number of contexts： the accompanying situation， the current topic of the situation， the habits and views of the speaker， and so on."  If we say "The hens are sitting." （The hen is sitting in her nest.）. This limitation of meaning can only be understood in terms of specific relationships. This is the context at work.

For example， the three words country， nation and state are all referred to as "state"， “country” is refer to “a large social organization， in a particular part of world”;“nation”is refer to “a particular large group of people living none country”; “state” is means “the social and political organization of people in a country”. Although country， nation and state are synonyms， their meanings are slightly different， so they are required to be used in different contexts. Because their semantics are consistent with the context， sentences seem to be appropriate in terms of words and clear meanings， which achieves the expression effect of sentences.

Ⅲ. The Role of Context in Semantics

Make words have special meaning. In English communication， the meaning of words often needs to be connected with the real context in order to understand them. Context is the prerequisite for determining semantics. Without specific context， not only the specific meaning of words can not be determined， but also the contextual meaning can not be determined.

The emotional colors affecting words. There are many emotional words in English. For example， horse， steed， nag， gee-gee all refer to the same animal （horse）. But the emotional color of each word is not the same， horse is a daily word， at least emotional color; Steed belongs to the language of poetry， it is a magnificent， noble and magnificent horse; nag is a proverb， it is an old， weak and disabled horse; Gee a g， but it's playful infant language. However， these emotional words in English are not fixed， and sometimes change their original emotional color in a specific context. The worthy gentleman （respectable sir） was originally a noun phrase with commendatory meanings. But in the following examples it is derogatory and irreverent. “Oh， the worthy gentleman over there， will you stop talking！” （喂，那边那位可敬的先生请你别谈话好吗？） Therefore， the influence of context on the emotional color of words is very obvious.

It can enrich the meaning of words. Language is a tool to express people's thoughts. People always strive to express ideas accurately and vividly. Therefore， people attach great importance to the expression of language. In terms of expression， it depends mainly on whether it can meet the needs of context.

Ⅳ. Conclusion

Semantics must be adapted to context. Semantics change with context， which is the basic law of semantic change， especially in English writing. In short， it can be called the consistency of semantic meaning with structure and context in English writing. As one of the basic requirements of English writing， consistency affects the quality of the article and the reader's understanding of the article. Semantics and contexts are interrelated， interdependent and consistent， and their relationship is inseparable. Therefore， a correct understanding and mastery of the semantic and contextual consistency in English will play a very important role in our writing.

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