Lexical Semantics without Thematic Roles

Yael Ravin

ISBN 10: 0198248318 / ISBN 13: 9780198248316

Published by Clarendon Press / Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK / New York, NY, 1990

About this Item

viii + 248 pp, acknowledgments, Introduction: The Relationship between Syntax and Semantics; 10 Chapters 1. A Restrictive versus a Non-Restrictive Approach,; 2. Fillmore's Case Theory; 3. Chomsky's Theory of Government and Binding; 4. Jackendoff's Thematic Theory; 5. The MLP Correction Theory; 6 & 7. A Theory of Semantic Decomposition (I & II); 8. 8 & 9. An Analysis of Some Event Concepts (I & II) 10. The Relationship between Syntax and Semantics Revisited; Bibliography, Index. Binding tight, pages clean and unmarked, covers crisp & unworn, gilt spine letters bright. Unworn green DJ in mylar protector. 5.7" x 8.7" black cloth boards, gilt spine letters, in dark green DJ Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall.

Seller Inventory # 005066

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lexical Semantics without Thematic Roles
• Publisher: Clarendon Press / Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK / New York, NY
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198248318
• ISBN 13: 9780198248316
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • LINGUISTICS

About this title

Synopsis

One of the central issues in modern linguistics has been the relationship between syntax and semantics. Within the framework of generative grammar, established by Chomsky in the early 1960s, it has been assumed that syntax is distinct from, and independent of, semantics. This premise has been challenged recently by Chomsky himself; he now proposes semantics, and in particular thematic roles, as the basis for generating syntactic structures.

Yael Ravin argues that thematic roles are not valid semantic entities, and that syntax and semantics are indeed autonomous and independent of one another. She advocates a Decompositional approach to lexical semantics, in the spirit of Katz's semantic theory. In the course of her argument she discusses theoretical issues such as indeterminacy and ambiguity, lexical configuration rules, and lexical projection, and analyses the semantic content of event concepts such as causation, action, and change.

Review

'Ravin's book is ... timely and important ... it addresses the yet bigger theoretical issue of the autonomy of the several components of the grammar, in particular the autonomy of semantic representation. Ravin is to be applauded for directly addressing this central, and often controversial matter.'Linguistics, Volume 28, 1992