Introduction to Natural Language Semantics

By Henriette de Swart

Book Overview

This introduction is concerned with the semantics of natural languages. The text examines what issues semantics, as a theory of meaning, should address: determining what the meanings of words of the language are and how to semantically combine elements of a language to build up complex meanings. Logical languages are then developed as formal metalanguages to natural language. Subsequent chapters address propositional logic, the syntax and semantics of (first-order) predicate logic as an extension of propositional logic, and generalized quantifier theory. Going beyond extensional theory, de Swart relativizes the interpretation of expressions to times to account for verbal tense, time adverbials, and temporal connectives, and introduces possible worlds to modal intensions, modal adverbs, and modal auxiliaries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1575861380
• ISBN13: 9781575861388
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Center for the Study of Language and Informat
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Short but concise introduction to formal semantics

This was the textbook for my class on Formal Semantics. It was quite thin, and I felt that it needed more discussion on some topics, but it covers most of the basic material. I guess from an instructor's point of view, this book gives them the flexibility to run the course the way they want. But it can be hard for a student to self-teach oneself using this book.