TY - BOOK ID - 542144 TI - Introduction to Semantics AU - Zimmermann, Thomas Ede AU - Sternefeld, Wolfgang PY - 2013 SN - 9783110308006 9783110314373 3110314371 129972275X 9781299722750 3110308002 PB - Berlin De Gruyter DB - UniCat KW - Lexicology. Semantics KW - Semantics KW - Semantics (Philosophy) KW - Semantics. KW - Intension (Philosophy) KW - Logical semantics KW - Semantics (Logic) KW - Semeiotics KW - Significs KW - Syntactics KW - Unified science KW - Language and languages KW - Logic, Symbolic and mathematical KW - Logical positivism KW - Meaning (Psychology) KW - Philosophy, Modern KW - Semiotics KW - Signs and symbols KW - Symbolism KW - Analysis (Philosophy) KW - Definition (Philosophy) KW - Formal semantics KW - Semasiology KW - Semiology (Semantics) KW - Comparative linguistics KW - Information theory KW - Lexicology KW - Compositionality. KW - Meaning. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:542144 AB - This textbook helps undergraduate students of language and linguistics taking their first steps in one of the core areas of grammar, introducing them to the basic ideas, insights, and techniques of contemporary semantic theory. Requiring no special background knowledge, the book starts with everyday observations about word meaning and use and then highlights the role of structure in the analysis of the meanings of phrases and clauses, zooming in on the fascinating and vexing question of how speakers manage to meaningfully communicate with sentences and texts they have never come across before. At the same time, the reader becomes acquainted with the modern, functionalist characterization of linguistic meaning in terms of reference (extension) and information (intension), and learns to apply technical tools from formal logic to analyzing the meaning of complex linguistic expressions as being composed by the meanings of their parts. Each of the nine main chapters contains a variety of exercises for self-study and classroom use, with model solutions in the appendix. Extensive English examples provide ample illustration. ER -