The Cambridge Handbook of Formal Semantics

Formal semantics - the scientific study of meaning in natural language - is one of the most fundamental and long-established areas of linguistics. This Handbook offers a comprehensive, yet compact guide to the field, bringing together research from a wide range of world-leading experts. Chapters include coverage of the historical context and foundation of contemporary formal semantics, a survey of the variety of formal/logical approaches to linguistic meaning and an overview of the major areas of research within current semantic theory, broadly conceived. The Handbook also explores the interfaces between semantics and neighbouring disciplines, including research in cognition and computation. This work will be essential reading for students and researchers working in linguistics, philosophy, psychology and computer science.

Provides the reader with a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of formal semantics as a field of research
Designed to appeal to philosophers, psychologists and computer scientists, as well as linguists
Chapters are written by leading researchers in the field

Reviews & endorsements

'After half a century of intensive research, formal semantics has become a mature discipline taught in most linguistics departments. The Amsterdam people were among the pioneers, and they offer us what is most needed today: a comprehensive handbook covering the entire field, each chapter of which is written by a world expert. A must read for anyone interested in language.' Francois Recanati, Institut Jean Nicod, Paris

See more reviews

Product details

Published: June 2016
Format: Adobe eBook Reader
ISBN: 9781316553855
Length: 0 pages
Weight: 0kg
Contains: 15 b/w illus. 8 tables
Availability: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.

Often bought together

This title is available for institutional purchase via Cambridge Core

Learn more

Related Journals

Also by this Author

Contents

Part I. The Landscape of Formal Semantics:
1. Formal semantics Barbara H. Partee
2. Lexical semantics James Pustejovsky
3. Sentential semantics Peter Pagin
4. Discourse semantics Nicholas Asher
5. Semantics of dialogue Jonathan Ginzburg
Part II. Theory of Reference and Quantification:
6. Reference Paul J. E. Dekker and Thomas Ede Zimmermann
7. Generalized quantifiers Dag Westerståhl
8. Indefinites Adrian Brasoveanu and Donka F. Farkas
9. Plurality Rick Nouwen
10. Genericity Ariel Cohen
Part III. Temporal and Aspectual Ontology and Other Semantic Structures:
11. Tense Atle Grønn and Arnim von Stechow
12. Aspect Susan Rothstein
13. Mereology Lucas Champollion and Manfred Krifka
14. Vagueness Hans Kamp and Galit W. Sassoon
15. Modification Louise McNally
Part IV. Intensionality and Force:
16. Negation Henriëtte de Swart
17. Conditionals Paul Egré and Mikaël Cozic
18. Modality Lisa Matthewson
19. Questions Paul Dekker, Maria Aloni and Jeroen Groenendijk
20. Imperatives Paul Portner
Part V. The Interfaces:
21. The syntax-semantics interface Manfred Sailer
22. The semantics-pragmatics interface Philippe Schlenker
23. Information structure Enric Vallduví
24. Semantics and cognition Giosuè Baggio, Keith Stenning and Michiel van Lambalgen
25. Semantics and computation Matthew Stone.

Courses

Resources

Additional Information

About the authors

Contributors

Barbara H. Partee, James Pustejovsky, Peter Pagin, Nicholas Asher, Jonathan Ginzburg, Paul J. E. Dekker, Thomas Ede Zimmermann, Dag Westerståhl, Adrian Brasoveanu, Donka F. Farkas, Rick Nouwen, Ariel Cohen, Atle Grønn, Arnim von Stechow, Susan Rothstein, Lucas Champollion, Manfred Krifka, Hans Kamp, Galit W. Sassoon, Louise McNally, Henriëtte de Swart, Paul Egré, Mikaël Cozic, Lisa Matthewson, Maria Aloni, Jeroen Groenendijk, Paul Portner, Manfred Sailer, Philippe Schlenker, Enric Vallduví, Giosuè Baggio, Keith Stenning, Michiel van Lambalgen, Matthew Stone

Editors

Maria Aloni , Universiteit van Amsterdam
Maria Aloni is Assistant Professor at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam. In 2001, she received her PhD from the same university. Her primary research interests lie in the area of formal semantics and pragmatics and philosophical logic. She is the author of several papers on quantification, cross-word identification, disjunction, modality, imperatives, conversational implicatures, and more.
Paul Dekker , Universiteit van Amsterdam
Paul Dekker is Assistant Professor at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam. He is a leading scholar and researcher in the area of formal semantics and the philosophy of language. His book Dynamic Semantics was published in 2012. His work is concerned with formal aspects of the meaning and use of natural language. His specific interests include reference, intentionality, quantification and discourse.

Products and services

About us