Semantic Analysis: A Practical Introduction (Oxford Textbooks in Linguistics) - Softcover

Goddard, Cliff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198700164 ISBN 13: 9780198700166

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 1998

Synopsis

Semantic Analysis is a lively and clearly written introduction to the study of meaning in language, and to the language-culture connection. Cliff Goddard covers essential background on traditional and contemporary issues and approaches, and then takes the reader through a series of case studies in descriptive semantics. He includes topics such as emotions, speech acts, colours, concrete objects, motion, causative verbs, and grammatical categories. The author draws on a rich range of material from a diversity of languages, including Arrernte, Ewe, Japanese, Malay, Polish, Spanish, and Yankunytjatjara. The main method used is reductive paraphrase in natural language, an approach which is rigorous yet accessible, and each chapter has a selection of interesting and often thought-provoking exercises to involve students in practical semantic analysis. This is the first real textbook on cross-cultural, cross-linguistic semantics. Series Information Series ISBN: 0-19-961833-X (Cloth); 0-19-9618348 (Paper) Series Editors: Professor Keith Brown (Essex), Professor Eve V. Clark (Stanford), Professor Lesley Milroy (Michigan and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Dr Jim Miller (Edinburgh), Professor Geoffrey K. Pullum (UC Santa Cruz), and Professor Peter Roach (Reading) Series Description: Oxford Textbooks in Linguistics is a new series of course textbooks for second and third-year undergraduate, and postgraduate university students. It is assumed that the student will have completed a first-year introductory course in general linguistics. The books will be suitable for students specializing in linguistics, or taking linguistics options as part of a languages, humanities, or social sciences degree. Other books in the series are Linguistic Reconstruction by Anthony Fox and Principles and Parameters by Peter Culicover.

About this title

Review

a valuable textbook grounded in the Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory, with enough breadth and depth to be suitable for most basic semantics courses. (Onna Nelson, Studies in Language)

About the Author

Cliff Goddard is Professor of Linguistics at Griffith University, Australia. He was previously Professor of Linguistics, University of New England. His books include The Languages of East and Southeast Asia (OUP 2005). He is co-editor with Anna Wierzbicka of Meaning and Universal Grammar (Benjamins 2002) with whom he is currently working on a book concerned with words and meanings.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0198700164
• ISBN 13: 9780198700166
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 428