word

Semantic Reference

seh-MAN-tik REF-er-unss

/sɪˈmæntɪk ˈrɛfərəns/

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Syllable breakdown

semanticreference

Dictionary meaning

The relationship between a linguistic expression and the entity or entities in the world it picks out or points to; what an expression refers to, as opposed to its sense (meaning)

History and origin

Frege's distinction between Sinn (sense) and Bedeutung (reference) in 'On Sense and Reference' (1892) is the foundational text

Examples

'The morning star' and 'the evening star' have the same reference (Venus) but different senses.
Definite descriptions such as 'the current King of France' can fail to have a reference if no entity satisfies them.

Synonyms: referent, denotation, extension

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