Semantics
3rd Edition
Published on 14. November 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-1-4051-5639-4 (ISBN)
Description
The third edition of this popular textbook provides an engaging and accessible introduction to semantics for students new to the field.
* Explores the basic concepts and methods of the field and discusses some of the most important contemporary lines of research
* Contains new solutions to chapter exercises in order to familiarize the student with the practice of semantic description
* Completely revised and updated to reflect recent theoretical developments
* Includes new sections on classifiers and noun classes, as well as conceptual integration
* Explores the basic concepts and methods of the field and discusses some of the most important contemporary lines of research
* Contains new solutions to chapter exercises in order to familiarize the student with the practice of semantic description
* Completely revised and updated to reflect recent theoretical developments
* Includes new sections on classifiers and noun classes, as well as conceptual integration
Reviews / Votes
"This book is an invaluable resource for students and instructors. It offers impressively broad coverage of semantic theory, and it strikes an ideal balance between theoretical developments and empirical investigation." Christopher Potts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst "This lively and engaging book provides an excellent introduction to current linguistic semantics. Its coverage is comprehensive, taking readers from foundational concepts, through descriptive techniques, to theoretical approaches to the subject. The use of languages other than English to exemplify the discussion is particularly refreshing, and this revised edition will continue to provide teachers with a clear and easy to use textbook, and students with a solid foundation in semantics." Ronnie Cann, Edinburgh UniversityMore details
Series
Edition
3. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicester
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 24.4 cm
Width: 17.1 cm
Thickness: 2.1 cm
Weight
730 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4051-5639-4 (9781405156394)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
John I. Saeed is Professor of Linguistics and Head of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, Trinity College, University of Dublin. He is the author of several books, including Somali Reference Grammar (second edition, 1993) and Somali (1999).
Content
List of Figures and Tables xiv
Preface xvi
Part I Preliminaries 1
1 Semantics in Linguistics 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Semantics and Semiotics 5
1.3 Three Challenges in Doing Semantics 6
1.4 Meeting the Challenges 7
1.5 Semantics in a Model of Grammar 9
1.6 Some Important Assumptions 11
1.7 Summary 19
2 Meaning, Thought and Reality 23
2.1 Introduction 23
2.2 Reference 25
2.3 Reference as a Theory of Meaning 30
2.4 Mental Representations 32
2.5 Words, Concepts and Thinking 41
2.6 Summary 46
Part II Semantic Description 51
3 Word Meaning 53
3.1 Introduction 53
3.2 Words and Grammatical Categories 55
3.3 Words and Lexical Items 55
3.4 Problems with Pinning Down Word Meaning 59
3.5 Lexical Relations 63
3.6 Derivational Relations 72
3.7 Lexical Universals 74
3.8 Summary 79
4 Sentence Relations and Truth 87
4.1 Introduction 87
4.2 Logic and Truth 89
4.3 Necessary Truth, A Priori Truth and Analyticity 95
4.4 Entailment 99
4.5 Presupposition 102
4.6 Summary 111
5 Sentence Semantics 1: Situations 117
5.1 Introduction 117
5.2 Classifying Situations 118
5.3 Modality and Evidentiality 138
5.4 Summary 146
6 Sentence Semantics 2: Participants 152
6.1 Introduction: Classifying Participants 152
6.2 Thematic Roles 153
6.3 Grammatical Relations and Thematic Roles 158
6.4 Verbs and Thematic Role Grids 160
6.5 Problems with Thematic Roles 162
6.6 The Motivation for Identifying Thematic Roles 165
6.7 Voice 169
6.8 Classifiers and Noun Classes 178
6.9 Summary 182
7 Context and Inference 190
7.1 Introduction 190
7.2 Deixis 191
7.3 Reference and Context 198
7.4 Knowledge as Context 199
7.5 Information Structure 205
7.6 Inference 211
7.7 Conversational Implicature 213
7.8 Summary 220
8 Functions of Language: Speech as Action 230
8.1 Introduction 230
8.2 Austin's Speech Act Theory 233
8.3 Categorizing Speech Acts 239
8.4 Indirect Speech Acts 241
8.5 Sentence Types 248
8.6 Summary 250
Part III Theoretical Approaches 257
9 Meaning Components 259
9.1 Introduction 259
9.2 Lexical Relations in CA 260
9.3 Katz's Semantic Theory 262
9.4 Grammatical Rules and Semantic Components 266
9.5 Components and Conflation Patterns 274
9.6 Jackendoff's Conceptual Structure 278
9.7 Pustejovsky's Generative Lexicon 289
9.8 Problems with Components of Meaning 295
9.9 Summary 297
10 Formal Semantics 305
10.1 Introduction 305
10.2 Model-Theoretical Semantics 308
10.3 Translating English into a Logical Metalanguage 309
10.4 The Semantics of the Logical Metalanguage 315
10.5 Checking the Truth-Value of Sentences 318
10.6 Word Meaning: Meaning Postulates 323
10.7 Natural Language Quantifiers and Higher Order Logic 325
10.8 Intensionality 333
10.9 Dynamic Approaches to Discourse 340
10.10 Summary 347
11 Cognitive Semantics 355
11.1 Introduction 355
11.2 Metaphor 358
11.3 Metonymy 365
11.4 Image Schemas 366
11.5 Polysemy 370
11.6 Mental Spaces 377
11.7 Langacker's Cognitive Grammar 388
11.8 Summary 393
Further reading 394
Exercises 394
Solutions to Selected Exercises 400
Bibliography 418
Index 443
Preface xvi
Part I Preliminaries 1
1 Semantics in Linguistics 3
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Semantics and Semiotics 5
1.3 Three Challenges in Doing Semantics 6
1.4 Meeting the Challenges 7
1.5 Semantics in a Model of Grammar 9
1.6 Some Important Assumptions 11
1.7 Summary 19
2 Meaning, Thought and Reality 23
2.1 Introduction 23
2.2 Reference 25
2.3 Reference as a Theory of Meaning 30
2.4 Mental Representations 32
2.5 Words, Concepts and Thinking 41
2.6 Summary 46
Part II Semantic Description 51
3 Word Meaning 53
3.1 Introduction 53
3.2 Words and Grammatical Categories 55
3.3 Words and Lexical Items 55
3.4 Problems with Pinning Down Word Meaning 59
3.5 Lexical Relations 63
3.6 Derivational Relations 72
3.7 Lexical Universals 74
3.8 Summary 79
4 Sentence Relations and Truth 87
4.1 Introduction 87
4.2 Logic and Truth 89
4.3 Necessary Truth, A Priori Truth and Analyticity 95
4.4 Entailment 99
4.5 Presupposition 102
4.6 Summary 111
5 Sentence Semantics 1: Situations 117
5.1 Introduction 117
5.2 Classifying Situations 118
5.3 Modality and Evidentiality 138
5.4 Summary 146
6 Sentence Semantics 2: Participants 152
6.1 Introduction: Classifying Participants 152
6.2 Thematic Roles 153
6.3 Grammatical Relations and Thematic Roles 158
6.4 Verbs and Thematic Role Grids 160
6.5 Problems with Thematic Roles 162
6.6 The Motivation for Identifying Thematic Roles 165
6.7 Voice 169
6.8 Classifiers and Noun Classes 178
6.9 Summary 182
7 Context and Inference 190
7.1 Introduction 190
7.2 Deixis 191
7.3 Reference and Context 198
7.4 Knowledge as Context 199
7.5 Information Structure 205
7.6 Inference 211
7.7 Conversational Implicature 213
7.8 Summary 220
8 Functions of Language: Speech as Action 230
8.1 Introduction 230
8.2 Austin's Speech Act Theory 233
8.3 Categorizing Speech Acts 239
8.4 Indirect Speech Acts 241
8.5 Sentence Types 248
8.6 Summary 250
Part III Theoretical Approaches 257
9 Meaning Components 259
9.1 Introduction 259
9.2 Lexical Relations in CA 260
9.3 Katz's Semantic Theory 262
9.4 Grammatical Rules and Semantic Components 266
9.5 Components and Conflation Patterns 274
9.6 Jackendoff's Conceptual Structure 278
9.7 Pustejovsky's Generative Lexicon 289
9.8 Problems with Components of Meaning 295
9.9 Summary 297
10 Formal Semantics 305
10.1 Introduction 305
10.2 Model-Theoretical Semantics 308
10.3 Translating English into a Logical Metalanguage 309
10.4 The Semantics of the Logical Metalanguage 315
10.5 Checking the Truth-Value of Sentences 318
10.6 Word Meaning: Meaning Postulates 323
10.7 Natural Language Quantifiers and Higher Order Logic 325
10.8 Intensionality 333
10.9 Dynamic Approaches to Discourse 340
10.10 Summary 347
11 Cognitive Semantics 355
11.1 Introduction 355
11.2 Metaphor 358
11.3 Metonymy 365
11.4 Image Schemas 366
11.5 Polysemy 370
11.6 Mental Spaces 377
11.7 Langacker's Cognitive Grammar 388
11.8 Summary 393
Further reading 394
Exercises 394
Solutions to Selected Exercises 400
Bibliography 418
Index 443