Seme (from Greek sēma, meaning "sign") is a term in structural semantics and semiotics referring to the smallest unit of meaning recognized in semantic analysis. It denotes a single characteristic or feature of a sememe (the total meaning of a lexeme). Semes are defined according to the differences between sememes and function as the minimal, indivisible components of signification.
The concept was introduced by Eric Buyssens in the 1930s and further developed by Bernard Pottier in the 1960s. It was later formalized within the framework of structural semantics by the Lithuanian-French semiotician Algirdas Julien Greimas, particularly in his work Sémantique structurale (1966). In Greimas's model, a seme is characterized by binary articulations of conjunction and disjunction between semantic categories, analogous to the role of the phoneme in phonology.
Key characteristics:
- Minimal unit of meaning: A seme is the smallest distinguishable semantic feature; it cannot be further decomposed.
- Binary oppositions: Semes are often defined through binary contrasts (e.g., [+animate] vs. [-animate], [+female] vs. [-female]).
- Componential analysis: Semes are used to decompose word meanings into sets of features. For example, the word "mare" can be analyzed as containing the semes [+animal], [+equine], and [+female].
- Relation to sememe: A sememe is the aggregate of semes that constitute the meaning of a lexeme. A sememe consists of an invariant semic core combined with variable classemes (context-dependent elements).
Classification (in Greimas's framework):
- Figurative semes – evoke perceptual experiences through the senses (e.g., /movement/, /tears/).
- Thematic semes – purely conceptual and non-sensory (e.g., /love/ opposing /hate/).
- Axiological semes – rooted in the thymic opposition of euphoria (positive valence) and dysphoria (negative valence), such as /joy/ versus /sorrow/.
Distinction from related terms:
- Seme vs. morpheme: A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that combines form (phonetic/graphic) with meaning. A seme is purely a unit of meaning, independent of material realization.
- Seme vs. phoneme: A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that distinguishes meaning; a seme is the smallest unit of meaning itself.
- Seme vs. sememe: A sememe is the complete set of semes that constitutes the meaning of a lexeme; a seme is a single component within that set.
Applications: Semes are used in componential analysis, lexical semantics, narrative semiotics, and discourse analysis. They provide a bridge to the study of semantic fields, isotopy (the repetition of semes ensuring textual coherence), and the development of ontologies in computational linguistics.
