Semantics / Kate Kearns.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kearns, Kate.

Contributor:

ProQuest (Firm)

Series:

Modern linguistics series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Semantics.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 308 pages).

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke : Macmillan, 2000.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

The main aim of the book is to provide a good understanding of a range of semantic phenomena and issues in semantics, adopting a truth-conditional account of meaning, but without using a compositional formalism. The book assumes no particular background in linguistics of philosophy, and all the technical tools used are explained as they are introduced. They style is accessible, with numerous examples.

Contents:

1.1 Kinds of Meaning 2

1.1.1 Denotation and Sense 2

1.1.2 Lexical and Structural Meaning 3

1.1.3 Categorematic and Syncategorematic Expressions 5

1.2 Studies Based on Sense 6

1.2.1 Lexical Sense 7

1.2.2 Semantic Features 10

1.2.3 Basic Category Words 10

1.2.4 Family Resemblances 13

1.2.5 Review of Lexical Sense 15

1.3 Denotational Theories 16

1.3.1 Denotations 16

1.3.2 Possible Worlds, Extension and Intension 17

1.3.3 Truth Conditions 18

1.3.4 A Simple Illustration of a Compositional Formal Theory 21

Chapter 2 First Order Logic 25

2.1 Representations for Meanings 25

2.2 The Logical Connectives 25

2.2.1 Conjunction 25

2.2.2 Negation 28

2.2.3 Disjunction 29

2.2.4 The Material Implication Connective 30

2.2.5 Equivalence and the Biconditional Connective 33

2.3 Predicates and Arguments 35

2.3.1 Predicates, Verbs and the Number of Arguments 38

2.3.2 Sentences as Arguments 40

2.4 The Logical Quantifiers 41

2.4.1 The Universal Quantifier 41

2.4.2 The Existential Quantifier 44

2.4.3 Scopal Ambiguity 45

Chapter 3 Modality and Possible Worlds 52

3.1 Kinds of Modality 52

3.1.1 Logical Modality 52

3.1.2 Epistemic Modality 53

3.1.3 Deontic Modality 55

3.2 Modality and Possible Worlds 55

3.2.1 Interdefinability with Negation 58

3.3 Counterfactuals 61

Chapter 4 Natural Language Quantifiers 67

4.1 Natural Language Quantifiers and First Order Logic 67

4.2 Restricted Quantifiers 70

4.2.1 Scopal Ambiguity 72

4.3 Quantificational Determiners in Generalized Quantifier Theory 73

4.3.1 Set Theoretic Definitions 73

4.3.2 Different Types of Quantifiers 75

4.3.3 Few and Many 77

4.3.4 Few and A few 79

4.3.5 Some and Several 79

4.4 Proportional Determiners and Discourse Familiarity 80

4.5 Quantifiers and There BE Sentences 81

4.5.1 Basic Existential There BE 82

4.5.2 Presentational There BE 83

4.5.3 Task There BE 84

4.5.4 List There BE 85

4.6 Quantifiers and Negative Polarity Items 85

Chapter 5 Definite Descriptions 93

5.1 Russell's Theory of Descriptions 93

5.2 The as a Generalized Quantifier 94

5.3 Definite Descriptions as Strong NPs 96

5.3.1 Familiarity Effects 99

5.3.2 There BE Contexts 99

5.4 Scopal Ambiguity 99

5.5 Opacity: Descriptions, Modality and Propositional Attitudes 100

5.5.1 Referential Opacity 101

5.5.2 Modality, Descriptions and Names 105

5.5.3 Propositional Attitudes and Descriptions 108

5.5.4 Summary: Descriptions and Scope 111

5.5.5 Propositional Attitudes and Names 112

Chapter 6 Indefinite Descriptions, Plurals, Generics and Mass NPs 120

6.1 Indefinite Descriptions and Specificity 120

6.2 Plural NPs and Groups 123

6.2.1 Collective Predication 124

6.2.2 Cumulative Predication 128

6.3 Mass NPs 128

6.3.1 Mass NPs and their Predicates 129

6.3.2 The Homogeneity of Mass Terms 129

6.3.3 Definitions for Mass Terms 130

6.4 Bare Plural NPs 133

6.4.1 Generic and Existential Readings 133

6.4.2 Bare Plurals and Quantificational Adverbs 136

6.5 Generic NPs and Reference to Kinds 137

Chapter 7 Tense and Aspect 148

7.1 The English Verb Group 148

7.2 Interpretations of Present and Past Tense Forms 150

7.2.1 The Present Tense 150

7.2.2 The Past Tense 152

7.2.3 Finiteness 153

7.3 The Formal Representation of Simple Tenses 154

7.4 Aspect 156

7.5 The Progressive 156

7.6 Perfective Have 158

7.7 The Aspectual Perfect 158

7.7.1 The Present Perfect: Reference to Past and Present 158

7.7.2 Universal and Existential Readings 162

7.7.3 Definite and Indefinite Reference to Times 163

7.8 The Tense Perfect 167

7.9 Reichenbach's Analysis 168

7.9.1 The Present Perfect 169

7.9.2 Past and Future Perfect 169

Chapter 8 Events 176

8.1 Davidson's Analysis of Action Sentences 176

8.2 Neodavidsonian Developments 181

8.2.1 Separation of Direct Arguments 181

8.2.2 The Adicity of Verbal Predicates 183

8.2.3 Relations to Events 187

8.3 Thematic Roles 188

8.3.1 Traditional Thematic Roles 189

8.3.2 Thematic Roles, Arguments and Adverbials 191

8.3.3 The Generality of Thematic Roles 191

8.4 Events and Perception Verbs 193

8.5 Adding Tense and NP Quantifiers 195

Chapter 9 Aspectual Classes of Events 200

9.1 The Four Aspectual Classes 201

9.2 Linguistic Signs of Aspectual Classes 204

9.2.1 Bounding and Duration 204

9.2.2 Tense and Verb Aspect 210

9.2.3 Agentivity 211

9.2.4 Internal Complexity 214

9.2.5 Interactions with the Progressive 216

9.3 Aspectual Similarities between Event Predicates and NPs 218

9.3.1 Countability and Boundedness 218

9.3.2 Mass and Indefinite Plurality 221

9.4 Homogeneity and Heterogeneity 222

Chapter 10 Thematic Roles Reviewed 228

10.1 Thematic Roles, Arguments and Adverbials 228

10.2 Thematic Roles are not Primitives 230

10.2.1 An Alternative Subatomic Analysis 230

10.2.2 Defining Thematic Roles 231

10.2.3 Defining Verb Classes 232

10.2.4 Signs of Aspectual Event Classes 234

10.2.5 Aspect and Types of Thematic Role 235

10.3 Agentivity 237

10.3.1 Volition and Control 237

10.3.2 Inanimate Forces 240

10.3.3 Inherent Causal Properties 241

10.4 The Actor/Patient Division 244

10.5 Aspect and Themes 246

Chapter 11 Implicature and Explicature 254

11.1 Grice's Conversational Implicature 255

11.1.1 Clarity 256

11.1.2 Truthfulness 257

11.1.3 Informativeness 258

11.1.4 Relevance 260

11.2 Later Developments 261

11.3 Horn's Q Principle and R Principle 262

11.3.1 Q-Implicatures 263

11.3.2 R-Implicatures 264

11.4 Relevance Theory 267

11.4.1 Cognitive Effect and Processing Effort 267

11.5 Levels of Inference: Implicature and Explicature 271

11.5.1 Disambiguation, Reference Assignment and Indexicality 271

11.5.2 Further Pragmatic Contributions to Explicature 275

11.5.3 Differentiating Explicature and Implicature 279.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.

OCLC:

939263293

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.