Semantics

Preface

Dedication

Part I: Preliminaries:

1. Semantics In Linguistics:

Introduction

Semantics And Semiotics

Three Challenges In Doing Semantics

Meeting The Challenges

Semantics In A Model Of Grammar

Some Important Assumptions

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

2. Meaning, Thought And Reality:

Introduction


Reference

Reference As A Theory Of Meaning

Mental Representations

Words, Concepts And Thinking

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

Part II: Semantic Description:

3. Word Meaning:

Introduction

Words And Grammatical Categories

Words And Lexical Items

Problems With Pinning Down Word Meaning

Lexical Relations

Derivational Relations

Lexical Universals

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

4. Sentence Relations And Truth:


Introduction

Logic And Truth

Necessary Truth, A Priori Truth And Analyticity

Entailment

Presupposition

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

5. Sentence Semantics 1: Situations:

Introduction

Classifying Situations

Modality And Evidentiality

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

6. Sentence Semantics 2: Participants:

Introduction: Classifying Participants

Thematic Roles

Grammatical Relations And Thematic Roles

Verbs And Thematic Role Grids

Problems With Thematic Roles

The Motivation For Identifying Thematic Roles

Voice

Classifiers and noun classes

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

7. Context And Inference:

Introduction

Deixis

Reference And Context

Knowledge As Context

Information Structure

Inference

Conversational Implicature

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

8. Functions Of Language: Speech As Action:

Introduction

Austin's Speech Act Theory

Categorizing Speech Acts

Indirect Speech Acts

Sentence Types

Summary

Further Reading

Exercises

Notes

Part III:

John I. Saeed is Associate 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).

"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 University

"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 University