Overview

This book offers an introduction to the analysis of meaning. Our outstanding ability to communicate is a distinguishing feature of our species. To communicate is to convey meaning, but what is meaning? How do words combine to give us the meanings of sentences? And what makes a statement ambiguous or nonsensical? These questions and many others are addressed in Paul Elbourne's fascinating guide. He opens by asking what kinds of things the meanings of words and sentences could be: are they, for example, abstract objects or psychological entities? He then looks at how we understand a sequence of words we have never heard before; he considers to what extent the meaning of a sentence can be derived from the words it contains and how to account for the meanings that can't be; and he examines the roles played by time, place, and the shared and unshared assumptions of speakers and hearers. He looks at how language interacts with thought and the intriguing question of whether what language we speak affects the way we see the world. Meaning, as might be expected, is far from simple. Paul Elbourne explores its complex issues in crystal clear language. He draws on approaches developed in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology - assuming a knowledge of none of them -in a manner that will appeal to everyone interested in this essential element of human psychology and culture.

Full Product Details

Author:   Paul Elbourne (Department of Linguistics, Queen Mary, University of London)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 12.50cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 21.00cm
Weight:   0.240kg
ISBN:  

9780199696628

ISBN 10:   0199696624
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   06 October 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

1: Definitions 2: What are Word Meanings? 3: Semantic Properties of Words 4: What are Sentence Meanings? 5: Semantic Properties of Sentences 6: Meaning and Grammar 7: Meaning and Context 8: Meaning and Thought 9: Conclusion Sources and Further Reading Index

Reviews

This is a perfect guide to what semantics is all about. The book is informative, scholarly, witty, entertaining, and funny. It doesn't shy away from hard puzzles and unsolved problems, and places semantics where it belongs: at the intersection of linguistics, logic, metaphysics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts at Amhurst

Recommended in the Times Higher Education Supplement Guide to Textbooks in Languages and Linguistics. This is a perfect guide to what semantics is all about. The book is informative, scholarly, witty, entertaining, and funny. It doesn't shy away from hard puzzles and unsolved problems, and places semantics where it belongs: at the intersection of linguistics, logic, metaphysics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts at Amhurst

<br> This is a perfect guide to what semantics is all about. The book is informative, scholarly, witty, entertaining, and funny. It doesn't shy away from hard puzzles and unsolved problems, and places semantics where it belongs: at the intersection of linguistics, logic, metaphysics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. --Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts at Amherst<p><br>

Author Information

Paul Elbourne is Reader in Semantics at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Situations and Individuals (MIT Press, 2005) and numerous articles in linguistics and philosophy journals.

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