Journal of Danubian Studies and Research, Vol 9, No 1 (2019)

Abstract

Abstract

In one form or another, the phenomena associated with ‘meaning transfer’ become central issues in a lot of recent work on semantics. This study is our contribution towards clarifying the expression ‘The Meaning of Life’ in the proceedings of the 2010 Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN) Annual Conference. Our modus operandi for that set objective is to elucidate the formulation the meaning of life in the conference’s theme and sub-themes, by examining incisively the notion of meaning within the said formulation. Our interest in meaning is rooted in semantics, an academic discipline universally defined as ‘the study of meaning’. Our intellectual  tools for the analysis are (i) the symbolist theory of meaning, attributable to Ogen & Richards (1923), as well as to Lyons (1981&1995); (ii) the performative theory of meaning in Uwajeh (1996b, 1996c, 2002 & 2010); and (iii) the  subjective well-being theory of meaning, in Diener, Lucas & Oishi (2002). The overall thrust of our argumentation shows up through our confronting the meaning in the 2010 LSN Annual conference’s ‘The Meaning of Life’ with the meaning in ‘The Study of Meaning’ of semantics.