Semantics: A CoursebookThis elementary coursebook has been carefully planned to introduce students to all the main elements of semantics in a simple, step-by-step fashion. Students begin by discovering the value and fascination of studying semantics, and move on to such topics as sense and reference, basic sense relations, simple logic, word meaning, and interpersonal meaning. Each unit of the course includes short sections of explanation and exemplification followed by stimulating practice exercises for the student to complete. Sections of answers and comment enable students accurately to monitor their progress through the course. The innovatory pedagogical structure will be helpful to students following introductory courses in Linguistics and to intermediate students who will find it a useful revision text. The coursebook will also meet the needs of those who wish genuinely to teach themselves about semantics. |
Contents
Basic ideas in semantics | 1 |
Sentences utterances and propositions | 15 |
Reference and sense | 25 |
From reference | 34 |
Predicates | 42 |
Predicates referring expressions and universe of discourse | 53 |
Deixis and definiteness | 62 |
Words and things extensions and prototypes | 76 |
Word meaning | 177 |
Meaning postulates | 187 |
Properties of predicates | 198 |
Derivation | 205 |
Participant roles | 219 |
Interpersonal meaning | 232 |
Perlocutions and illocutions | 240 |
Felicity conditions | 250 |
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Common terms and phrases
actually adjective Alice ambiguous words analytic answer antonyms asserting Clark Kent context contradiction conversation corresponding declarative sentence defined Definition Example Practice describe dictionary entries English entailment Entry requirements Entry extension fact Feedback Comment Definition Feedback Comment Practice felicity conditions following sentences give given gradable grammatical hearer Henry died hyponymy idea illocutionary act implicature inchoative indirect illocutions intransitive verb involved language linguistic logical formulae married Mary meaning postulates mentioned names normal notion paraphrase particular pass the salt performative utterance perlocution perlocutionary act polysemy Practice Feedback premiss prototype question referring expressions relationship requirements Entry test review Unit role rule of inference semantic semanticists sense properties sense relations Sentence type simple propositions situation someone speaker speech acts statement synonymy T/F T/F take the entry talk tence Terry resigned true things true or false truth table two-place predicate universe of discourse Yes/No Yes/No Feedback Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No