
By Creating Certain Marks On Paper, Or By Making Certain Sounds-breathing Past A Moving Tongue-or By Articulation Of Hands And Bodies, Language Users Can Give Expression To Their Mental Lives. With Language We Command, Assert, Query, Emote, Insult, And Inspire. Language Has Meaning. This Fact Can Be Quite Mystifying, Yet A Science Of Linguistic Meaning-semantics-has Emerged At The Intersection Of A Variety Of Disciplines: Philosophy, Linguistics, Computer Science, And Psychology. Semantics Is The Study Of Meaning. But What Exactly Is Meaning? What Is The Exact Target Of Semantic Theory? Much Of The Early Work In Natural Language Semantics Was Accompanied By Extensive Reflection On The Aims Of Semantic Theory, And The Form A Theory Must Take To Meet Those Aims. But This Meta-theoretical Reflection Has Not Kept Pace With Recent Theoretical Innovations. This Volume Re-addresses These Questions Concerning The Foundations Of Natural Language Semantics In Light Of The Current State-of-the-art In Semantic Theorising.
This volume investigates the fundamental nature of meaning and the foundational aims of semantic theory within the context of modern linguistic research. Authors Brian Rabern and Derek Ball examine the current state of semantic theorizing, arguing that meta-theoretical reflection has lagged behind recent empirical and formal innovations. They provide a rigorous framework for understanding what semantic theory targets and how it should be structured to account for the complexities of human language.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this volume as a significant contribution to the philosophy of language, specifically for its attempt to modernize the foundations of semantic theory. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and advanced students in the field of linguistics and philosophy.
Page Count:
272
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0191059951
ISBN-13:
9780191059957
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