Semantics is a key concept in linguistic theory, concerning the analysis and description of the meaning of linguistic expressions. This collection contains a selection of the most important contributions to semantic theory ranging from Gottlob Frege's essay On Sense and Reference written in 1892, to present-day thinkers in the field. The collection is structured around three major themes.
Volume I: Foundational Issues
Truth and Denotation
Semantics and Grammar
Volume II:
Generalized Quantifiers and Scope
Volume III: Noun Phrase Classes
Indefiniteness and Definiteness
Plurals and Mass Nouns
Volume IV: The Semantics of Predicates and Inflection
Part A: Events, Aspect and Thematic Roles
Tense and Modality
Volume V: Operators and Sentence Types
Part A: Adjectives, Degrees and Comparatives
Part B: Negation and Negative Polarity Items
Part C: Questions
Volume VI: Discourse and Dynamics
Part A: Topic and Focus
Part B: Pronouns and Anaphora
Part C: The Semantics / Pragmatics Interface
Routledge Critical Concepts in Linguistics series provides authoritative reprints of the discipline's best and most influential scholarship. This series looks at language from the point of view of the user, at the choices made and the constraints encountered when we use language. Edited by experts in the field, each set puts the development of fundamental concepts and themes into their historical context, as well as providing students and researchers with a snapshot of contemporary debates and current thinking.