Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics
Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1975-07-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780521207331

In this book, first published in 1975, Dr Kempson argues that previous work on presupposition - whether in philosophy or linguistics - has been mistakenly based on a conflation of two different disciplines: semantics, the study of the meanings assigned to the formal system which constitutes a language, and pragmatics, the study of the use of that system in communication. The first part of the book deals generally with the nature of semantics in linguistic theory and its formal representation within a transformational grammar; Dr Kempson argues against incorporating the relation of presupposition within such a grammar. The second part provides a pragmatic account of the foundations of a theory of communication and its detailed application to the problems raised by presupposition. The book is intended for those studying both philosophy and linguistics and also for those sociolinguists and psychologists with a more general interest in the theory of communication.

The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory

The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory
Author: Shalom Lappin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 771
Release: 2019-02-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1119046823

The second edition of The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory presents a comprehensive introduction to cutting-edge research in contemporary theoretical and computational semantics. Features completely new content from the first edition of The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory Features contributions by leading semanticists, who introduce core areas of contemporary semantic research, while discussing current research Suitable for graduate students for courses in semantic theory and for advanced researchers as an introduction to current theoretical work

Semantic Theory

Semantic Theory
Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1977-09-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780521292092

An introduction to the central topics of linguistic semantics and the philosophy of language, assuming no special knowledge of philosophy or logic.

The Cambridge Handbook of Pragmatics

The Cambridge Handbook of Pragmatics
Author: Keith Allan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 967
Release: 2012-01-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1139501895

Pragmatics is the study of human communication: the choices speakers make to express their intended meaning and the kinds of inferences that hearers draw from an utterance in the context of its use. This Handbook surveys pragmatics from different perspectives, presenting the main theories in pragmatic research, incorporating seminal research as well as cutting-edge solutions. It addresses questions of rational and empirical research methods, what counts as an adequate and successful pragmatic theory, and how to go about answering problems raised in pragmatic theory. In the fast-developing field of pragmatics, this Handbook fills the gap in the market for a one-stop resource to the wide scope of today's research and the intricacy of the many theoretical debates. It is an authoritative guide for graduate students and researchers with its focus on the areas and theories that will mark progress in pragmatic research in the future.

Implicatures

Implicatures
Author: Sandrine Zufferey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2019-06-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1107125650

Offers an accessible and thorough introduction to implicatures in pragmatics, and its interfaces with language and cognition.

Presumptive Meanings

Presumptive Meanings
Author: Stephen C. Levinson
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2000-04-24
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780262621304

This is the first extended discussion of preferred interpretation in language understanding, integrating much of the best research in linguistic pragmatics from the last two decades. When we speak, we mean more than we say. In this book Stephen C. Levinson explains some general processes that underlie presumptions in communication. This is the first extended discussion of preferred interpretation in language understanding, integrating much of the best research in linguistic pragmatics from the last two decades. Levinson outlines a theory of presumptive meanings, or preferred interpretations, governing the use of language, building on the idea of implicature developed by the philosopher H.P. Grice. Some of the indirect information carried by speech is presumed by default because it is carried by general principles, rather than inferred from specific assumptions about intention and context. Levinson examines this class of general pragmatic inferences in detail, showing how they apply to a wide range of linguistic constructions. This approach has radical consequences for how we think about language and communication.

Perspectives on Pragmatics and Philosophy

Perspectives on Pragmatics and Philosophy
Author: Alessandro Capone
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2013-11-26
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3319010115

This book is about the pragmatics of language and it illustrates how pragmatics transcends the boundaries of linguistics. This volume covers Gricean pragmatics as well as topics including: conversation and collective belief, the norm of assertion, speech acts, what a context is, the distinction between semantics and pragmatics and implicature and explicature, pragmatics and epistemology, the pragmatics of belief, quotation, negation, implicature and argumentation theory, Habermas’ Universal Pragmatics, Dascal’s theory of the dialectical self, theories and theoretical discussions on the nature of pragmatics from a philosophical point of view. Conversational implicatures are generally meaning augmentations on top of explicatures, whilst explicatures figure prominently in what is said. Discussions in this work reveal their characteristics and tensions within current theories relating to explicatures and implicatures. Authors show that explicatures and implicatures are calculable and not (directly) tied to conventional meaning. Pragmatics has a role to play in dealing with philosophical problems and this volume presents research that defines boundaries and gives a stable picture of pragmatics and philosophy. World renowned academic experts in philosophy and pragmalinguistics ask important theoretical questions and interact in a way that can be easily grasped by those from disciplines other than philosophy, such as anthropology, literary theory and law. A second volume in this series is also available, which covers the perspective of linguists who have been influenced by philosophy.

Semantics

Semantics
Author: Frank Robert Palmer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1981-08-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780521283762

When the first edition of Semantics appeared in 1976, the developments in this aspect of language study were exciting interest not only among linguists, but among philosophers, psychologists and logicians. Professor Palmer's straightforward and comprehensive book was immediately welcomed as one of the best introductions to the subject. Interest in Semantics has been further stimulated recently by a number of significant, and often contriversial, theoretical advances; and the publication of this second edition has enabled Professor Palmer to bring his survey thoroughly up to date. There is also an important new chapter on 'Semantics and logic', showing clearly and simply the influence that logical models have had on the study of meaning. Professor Palmer always illustrates his argument with helpful examples, and his non-technical explanations will be readily intelligible to the interested layman as well as to beginning students of language and linguistics.

Logic, Meaning, and Conversation

Logic, Meaning, and Conversation
Author: Jay David Atlas
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2005-02-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0195133005

Focusing on pragmatics, this work examines verbal ambiguity and verbal generality whilst providing a detailed theory of conversational implicature using the work of Paul Grice as a starting point.