The Routledge Handbook of Semantics provides a broad and state-of-the-art survey of this field, covering semantic research at both word and sentence level. It presents a synoptic view of the most important areas of semantic investigation, including contemporary methodologies and debates, and indicating possible future directions in the field.
Written by experts from around the world, the 29 chapters cover key issues and approaches within the following areas:
- meaning and conceptualisation;
- meaning and context;
- lexical semantics;
- semantics of specific phenomena;
- development, change and variation.
The Routledge Handbook of Semantics is essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students working in this area.
Introduction: Semantics – A Theory in Search of an Object Nick Riemer Part 1. Foundational issues 1. (Descriptive) Externalism in Semantics Steven Gross 2. Internalist Semantics: Meaning, Conceptualization and Expression Nick Riemer 3. History of Semantics Keith Allan Part 2. Approaches 4. Foundations of Formal Semantics Jon Gajewski 5. Cognitive Semantics Maarten Lemmens 6. Corpus Semantics Michael Stubbs Part 3. Meaning and Conceptualization 7. Categories, Prototypes and Exemplars James A. Hampton 8. Embodiment, Simulation and Meaning Benjamin Bergen 9. Language and Thought Daniel Casasanto Part 4. Meaning and Context 10. Semantics and Pragmatics John Saeed 11. Contextual Adjustment of Meaning Robyn Carston Part 5. Lexical Semantics 12. Lexical Decomposition Nick Riemer 13. Sense Individuation Dirk Geeraerts 14. Sense Relations Petra Storjohann 15. Semantic Extension John Newman Part 6. Semantics of Specific Phenomena 16. Semantics of Nominals Sebastian Löbner 17. Negation and Polarity Doris Penka 18. Quantification Anna Szabolcsi 19. Lexical and Grammatical Aspect Stephen Dickey 20. Tense Ilse Depraetere and Raphael Salkie 21. Modality Ilse Depraetere 22. Event Semantics Jean-Pierre Koenig 23. Participant Roles Beatrice Primus 24. Compositionality Adele E. Goldberg 25. The Semantics of Lexical Typology Maria Koptjevskaja-Tamm, Ekaterina Rakhilina and Martine Vanhove Part 7. Extensions 26. Acquisition of Meaning Soonja Choi 27. Expressives Ad Foolen 28. Interpretative Semantics François Rastier 29. Semantic Processing Martin J. Pickering and Steven Frisson Index
Biography
Nick Riemer is a senior lecturer in the English and Linguistics Departments at the University of Sydney, and a member of the Laboratoire d’histoire des théories linguistiques, Université Paris-Diderot. He specializes in semantics and in the history and philosophy of linguistics.
"This wide-ranging handbook is sure to provide a valuable resource for specialists and non-specialists alike. It provides authoritative and accessible overviews of key areas of the field, offering a reliable survey of current issues, insights and approaches to these areas. The scope of the handbook in accommodating a multiplicity of models and perspectives is truly impressive."
Louisa Sadler, University of Essex, UK"Essential reading for all scholars of meaning, this handbook offers readable surveys of the state of the art alongside chapters that will challenge and extend. Embracing the plurality of theoretical approaches to meaning, and—indeed—of meaning itself, this work is a paragon of the field’s rich variety."
Alice Gaby, Monash University, Australia"An intelligently organised and comprehensive in-depth survey of current issues in semantic theory, with an international line-up of contributors."
Noel Burton-Roberts, Newcastle University, UK"This volume contains a broader coverage of the field than is normal for a handbook and many essays take an interestingly critical stance on current orthodoxies. As such, this book will provide researchers of all levels with a very valuable resource that gives an excellent snapshot of the current state of the subject."
Ronnie Cann, University of Edinburgh, UK
