The latest edition of the bestselling introduction to the field of linguistic semantics
updated throughout and featuring a wholly new chapter on inferential pragmatics Semantics
Fifth Edition is a comprehensive and well-balanced introduction to the study of the
communication of meaning in language. Assuming no previous background in semantics and limited
familiarity with formal linguistics this student-friendly textbook describes the concepts
theory and study of semantics in an accessible and clear style. Concise chapters describe the
role of semantics within contemporary linguistics cover key topics in the analysis of word and
sentence meaning and review major semantic theories such as componential theory formal
semantics and cognitive semantics. The updated fifth edition incorporates recent theoretical
developments and important research in linguistic semantics featuring an entirely new chapter
examining the overlap between inferential pragmatics and Relevance Theory truth-conditional
meaning and other traditional areas of semantics. Revised and expanded sections discuss the
continuing growth and consolidation of cognitive semantics various contextual features of
language conceptualization and categorization and construal and perspective. This edition
includes new exercises with solutions up-to-date references to relevant literature and
additional examples with data from a wide range of different languages. * Covers basic concepts
and methods as well as key theoretical models current lines of research and important writers
* Explains general concepts in semantics before gradually moving to more advanced topics in
semantic description and theoretical approaches * Highlights the relation between
cross-linguistic variation and language universals * Provides students with the background
necessary to understand more advanced and specialized primary semantics literature * Includes a
glossary of technical terms and numerous exercises arranged by level of difficulty * Highlights
the relationship between semantics and cross-linguistic variation language universals and
pragmatics With detailed examples from a wide range of contexts and a wealth of practical
exercises Semantics Fifth Edition remains the perfect textbook for undergraduate students of
linguistics English language applied linguistics modern languages and computer sciences.
