decompositional semantics

Decompositional semantics is a theory in linguistics that analyzes the meaning of words and phrases by breaking them down into their basic components or parts. It suggests that complex words or concepts can be understood by examining their simpler, fundamental elements and how these parts combine. For example, the meaning of "unhappy" can be unpacked into "not" + "happy." This approach helps explain how language conveys nuanced meanings and how different words relate to each other based on their underlying components, making it easier to understand and interpret language systematically.