Semantics: An Introduction to Meaning in Language (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics)

The study of meaning in language has developed dramatically over the last fifty years. Semantics is distinctive as it not only presents a general introduction to the topic, including the most recent developments, but it also provides a unique perspective for addressing current issues. It opens by introducing readers to the study of logic (natural deduction) as the background against which developments have taken place. This demonstrates the link between semantics and the study of reasoning and how this view can provide new solutions to the puzzles that have plagued the approaches presented in other textbooks. The major subject areas of semantics are discussed, including quantification, anaphora and discourse, tense and aspect, ellipsis and context, and word meaning. The book also presents state-of-the-art research in topics at the forefront of semantics.

Ronnie Cann is a Reader in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at the University of Edinburgh.

Ruth Kempson is a Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Philosophy at King's College London.

Eleni Gregoromichelaki is a Research Associate in the Department of Philosophy at King's College London.