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

Goddard, Cliff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198700172 ISBN 13: 9780198700173

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

An introduction to the study of meaning in language, and to the language-culture connection, this work covers essential background on traditional and contemporary issues and approaches, and then takes the reader through a series of case studies in descriptive semantics. It includes topics such as emotions, speech acts, colours, concrete objects, motion, causative verbs, and grammatical categories. The author draws on a 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 exercises to involve students in practical semantic analysis.

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 joined the Department of Linguistics at The University of New England in 1990. He has collaborated closely with Anna Wierzbicka in the development of the "natural semantic metalanguage" approach to semantics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0198700172
• ISBN 13: 9780198700173
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 428