Seme, the smallest unit of meaning recognized in
semantics
Semantics (from grc, σημαντικός ''sēmantikós'', "significant") is the study of reference, meaning, or truth. The term can be used to refer to subfields of several distinct disciplines, including philosophy, linguistics and comput ...
, refers to a single characteristic of a
sememe. These characteristics are defined according to the differences between sememes. The term was introduced by
Eric Buyssens in the 1930s and developed by
Bernard Pottier in the 1960s. It is the result produced when determining the minimal elements of meaning, which enables one to describe
word
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...
s multilingually. Such elements provide a bridge to
componential analysis and the initial work of
ontologies.
See also
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Asemic writing
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Meme
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ...
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Phoneme
In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.
For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...
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Memetics
Memetics is a study of information and culture. While memetics originated as an analogy with Darwinian evolution, digital communication, media, and sociology scholars have also adopted the term "memetics" to describe an established empirical stud ...
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Mimicry
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...
Further reading
Functional Approach to Semantic Heterogeneity Ontological Semantics and the Study of Meaning in Linguistics, Philosophy and Computational Linguistics
Semantic units
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