Semantics / Kate Kearns

"This introductory textbook assumes no prior knowledge and covers a wide range of core topics in formal semantics. Now thoroughly updated, the second edition features new chapters on semantic composition, type theory and the lambda calculus, as well as a revised discussion of Pragmatics and a variety of new exercises"-- Provided by publisher

Includes bibliographical references and index

Acknowledgements -- Preface to the First Edition -- Preface to the Second Edition -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Semantics and pragmatics -- 1.2. Kinds of meaning -- 1.2.1. Denotation and Sense -- 1.2.2. Lexical and structural meaning -- 1.2.3. Categorematic and syncategorematic expressions -- 1.3. Truth-conditional theories of meaning -- 1.3.1. Denotations -- 1.3.2. Possible worlds, extension and intension -- 1.3.3. Truth conditions -- 1.3.4. Truth-based relations between statements -- 1.4. Implicature -- 1.4.1. The Principle of Relevance -- 1.4.2. The Principle of Informativeness -- 1.5. Other contextual factors: indexicality and anaphors -- 1.6. Presupposition -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 2. Basic Logical Tools -- 2.1. Representations for meanings -- 2.2. The logical connectives -- 2.2.1. Conjunction -- 2.2.2. Negation -- 2.2.3. Disjunction -- 2.2.4. The material implication connective -- 2.2.5. The biconditional connective -- 2.3. Predicates and arguments -- 2.3.1. Predicates, verbs and the number of arguments -- 2.3.2. Sentences as arguments -- 2.3.3. Path arguments -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 3. The Logical Quantifiers -- 3.1. The universal quantifier -- 3.2. The existential quantifier -- 3.3. Intersective and non-intersective adjectives -- 3.4. The logical quantifiers are interdefinable -- 3.5. Scope and scopal ambiguity -- 3.5.1. Scope and tree diagrams -- 3.5.2. Scopal ambiguity -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 4. Formal Composition -- 4.1. Types -- 4.2. Functions -- 4.3. Types of function -- 4.4. Lambda abstraction -- 4.5. Some general rules for semantic composition -- 4.6. Predicate variables -- Summary of rules and definitions -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 5. Modality and Possible Worlds -- 5.1. Kinds of modality -- 5.1.1. Logical modality -- 5.1.2. Epistemic modality -- 5.1.3. Deontic modality -- 5.2. Modality and possible worlds -- 5.2.1. Logical modality and possible worlds -- 5.2.2. Epistemic modality and possible worlds -- 5.2.3. Deontic modality and possible worlds -- 5.2.4. Interdefinability with negation -- 5.3. Counterfactuals -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 6. Generalized Quantifiers -- 6.1. Quantification beyond first order logic -- 6.2. Generalized Quantifier Theory -- 6.3. Different types of quantifier determiner -- 6.3.1. Group 1 and Group 2 determiners -- 6.3.2. The ambiguity of few and many -- 6.3.3. Few and a few -- 6.3.4. Some and several -- 6.4. Restricted quantifier notation -- 6.5. Scopal ambiguity -- 6.6. Proportional determiners and discourse familiarity -- 6.7. Strong and weak determiners and there BE sentences -- 6.7.1. The definiteness effect -- 6.7.2. Types of there BE sentence -- 6.8. Determiner the and definite descriptions -- 6.8.1. Russell's Theory of Descriptions -- 6.8.2. The as a generalized quantifier -- 6.8.3. Definite descriptions as strong NPs -- Familiarity effects -- Definite descriptions in there BE contexts -- Definite descriptions and scopal ambiguity -- 6.9. Quantifiers and negative polarity items -- 6.10. Generalized quantifiers as lambda functions -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 7. Referential Opacity -- 7.1. Quine's referential opacity -- 7.2. Modality, descriptions and names -- 7.2.1. Modality and names -- 7.2.2. Modality and descriptions -- 7.3. Propositional attitudes and descriptions -- 7.4. Summary: descriptions and scope -- 7.5. Propositional attitudes and names -- 7.6. De re and de dicto readings with other quantifiers -- 7.7. Indefinite descriptions and specificity -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 8. Aktionsarten: Aspectual Classes of Events -- 8.1. Vendler's four aspectual classes -- 8.2. Diagnostic tests for aktionsarten -- 8.2.1. In adverbials -- 8.2.2. The take time construction -- 8.2.3. For adverbials -- 8.2.4. The sub-interval property -- 8.2.5. Entailments of the progressive -- 8.2.6. Duration and the progressive -- 8.3. Telicity and boundedness -- 8.4. Semelfactive predicates -- 8.5. Aktionsarten and agentivity -- 8.6. Nominal and verbal aspect -- 8.7. Closing comment -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 9. Tense and Aspect -- 9.1. Introduction -- 9.2. The English verb group -- 9.3. Interpretations of present, past, progressive and perfect -- 9.3.1. Interpretations of the present tense -- 9.3.2. Interpretations of the past tense -- 9.3.3. Other forms for future and habitual -- 9.3.4. Interpretations of the progressive -- 9.3.5. Interpretations of the present perfect -- Present time adverbials -- Current result states -- 'Hot news' perfect -- Continuing state -- 9.4. Tense as an operator -- 9.5. Tense and reference to times -- 9.6. Reichenbach's analysis of tense -- 9.7. Reference to times in a narrative -- 9.7.1. Reference time movement -- 9.7.2. State/progressive includes reference time: reference time includes bounded event -- 9.7.3. Is r the same as Reichenbach's R? -- 9.7.4. General principles for temporal interpretation in narrative -- 9.7.5. Adding tense -- 9.8. Closing comment -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 10. Thematic Roles and Lexical Conceptual Structure -- 10.1. Introduction -- 10.2. Traditional thematic roles -- 10.2.1. Agent/Actor and Patient -- 10.2.2. Localist roles -- 10.2.3. Recipient and benefactive -- 10.2.4. Experiencer and stimulus -- 10.2.5. Do adjuncts have thematic roles? -- 10.2.6. Themes and Patients -- 10.2.7. Summary -- 10.3. More detailed analysis of thematic roles -- 10.4. Lexical conceptual structure and thematic roles -- 10.4.1. The action tier -- 10.4.2. Theme, goal and location -- 10.4.3. Experiencer and stimulus -- 10.4.4. Motion event roles -- 10.4.5. Recipient and benefactive -- 10.4.6. Summary of theta roles in LCS -- 10.5. Verb classes and LCS -- 10.6. Closing comment -- Summary of LCS symbols and definitions with selected examples -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- 11. Events -- 11.1. Davidson's analysis of action sentences -- 11.2. Neodavidsonian developments -- 11.2.1. Separation of direct arguments -- 11.2.2. Relations to events -- 11.2.3. The adicity of verbal predicates -- 11.3. Events and perception verbs -- 11.4. Adding tense and NP quantifiers -- Exercises -- Further Reading -- Bibliography -- Index