Semantics

More about the book

This intermediate-level textbook on semantics is designed for those with a basic understanding of grammatical terminology and prior studies in syntax and semantics. It caters to intermediate and advanced undergraduates, beginning postgraduates, and students interested in the grammar of specific languages, as well as those in computational linguistics and artificial intelligence. The introductory chapter covers essential concepts like grammaticalization and prototype theory. Subsequent chapters focus on individual topics such as the connections between syntactic and semantic categories, proposition types, deixis, tense, aspect, modality, negation, and determination. Each topic is initially explored in English, followed by a broader framework that includes examples from various languages, including French, German, and non-standard varieties of English, along with some data from less common languages. Each chapter concludes with extensive suggestions for further reading. The author, Paul Bennett, holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and serves as a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at UMIST, Manchester. His previous works include publications on multilingual information technology, linguistic theory, and generalized phrase structure grammar.