Eunhee Lee

An Introduction to Lexical Semantics

A Formal Approach to Word Meaning and its Composition

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

An Introduction to Lexical Semantics provides a comprehensive theoretical overview of lexical semantics, analysing the major lexical categories in English: verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions. The book illustrates step-by-step how to use formal semantic tools.

Divided into four parts, covering the key aspects of lexical semantics, this book:
introduces readers to the major influential theories including the syntax-lexical semantics interface theory by Levin and Rappaport and Pinker, the generative lexicon theory by Pustejovsky and formal semantic analyses discusses key topics in formal semantics including metonymy, metaphor and polysemy illustrates how to study word meaning scientifically by discussing mathematical notions applied to compositional semantics.
Including reflection questions, summaries, further reading and practice exercises for each chapter, this accessible guide to lexical semantics is essential reading for advanced students andteachers of formal semantics.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Routledge / Taylor & Francis
• Seitenzahl: 324
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. Dezember 2022
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 155mm x 234mm x 27mm
• Gewicht: 517g
• ISBN-13: 9781032393438
• ISBN-10: 1032393432
• Artikelnr.: 65611265

Autorenporträt

EunHee Lee is Professor in the Department of Linguistics at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She is the author of four books, Korean Tense and Aspect in Narrative Discourse (2012), Introduction to Korean Linguistics (2016, with Sean Madigan and Meejeong Park), Korean Syntax and Semantics (2019), and The Logic of Narratives (2020). She teaches Lexical Semantics, Formal Semantics, and Language Acquisition to undergraduate and graduate students at UB.

Inhaltsangabe

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Symbols

Part I. Preliminaries

1 Introduction

1.1 Lexical and Compositional Semantics

1.2 Defining Lexeme, Word, and Meaning

1.2.1 Lexeme

1.2.2 Word

1.2.3 Meaning

1.3 Meaning-to-Form Perspective

1.3.1 Lexical Field Theory

1.3.2 Componential Analyses

1.3.3 Conceptual Semantics

1.3.4 Natural Semantic Metalanguage

1.3.5 Prototype Theory

1.3.6 Frame Semantics

1.4 Form-to-Meaning Perspective

1.4.1 Polysemy

1.4.2 Coercion

1.4.3 Metonymy

1.4.4 Metaphor

1.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

2. Methods

2.1 Logical Language

2.2.1 Propositional Calculus

2.2.2 Predicate Calculus

2.2.3 Lambda Calculus

2.2 Model Theory

2.2.1 Truth Relative to a Model

2.2.2 Intensional Models

2.3 Type Theory

2.3.1 Basic and Functional Types

2.3.2 Many-sorted Types

2.4 Lexical Entailments

2.4.1 Grammatical Distributions of Words

2.4.2 Lexical Decomposition

2.4.3 Meaning Postulates

2.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Part II. Verbs

3. Common Classifications of Verbs

3.1 Ingredients of Verb Semantics

3.1.1 Valency and Argument Order

3.1.2 Event Semantics

3.2 Thematic Roles

3.2.1 Major Theta-Roles

3.2.2 UTAH and the Thematic Hierarchy

3.2.3 Proto Roles

3.3 Aspectual Classes

3.3.1 Aktionsart

3.3.2 Operational Tests

3.4 Event Templatic Structure

3.4.1 Templates and Rroots

3.4.2 Ontological Types of Roots

3.4.3 Consequences of the Bipartite View

3.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Chapter 4. Types of Verbs

4.1 Many-Sorted Types in the Eventuality Domain

4.1.1 The Logic of Change

4.1.2 The Hierarchy of Many-Sorted Types in the Eventuality Domain

4.2 Process and Event Type Verbs

4.2.1 The Change of State Domain

4.2.2 Manner of Motion and Directed Motion Verbs

4.2.3 Mereology

4.3 Punctual and Durative Event Type Verbs

4.3.1 Semantics of Incrementality

4.3.2 Ditransitive Verbs in the Dative Alternation

4.4 Bounded and Unbounded Durative Event Type Verbs

4.4.1 Variable Telicity and Degree Achievements

4.4.2 The Degree Argument and a Standard of Comparison

4.4.3 A Measure of Change Function

4.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

5. Polysemy and Coercion

5.1 Polysemy

5.1.1 Problems with Verbal Polysemy

5.1.2 The Sense Enumerative Lexical Model
5.1.3 Co-compositionality

5.2 Theoretical Approaches to Polysemy

5.2.1 Literalist Approach

5.2.2 Over-Specification Approach

5.2.3 Under-Specification Approach

5.3 Coercion

5.3.1 Complement Coercion

5.3.2 Aspectual Coercion

5.4 Event-like Behaviors of Stative Verbs

5.4.1 Manner Modification

5.4.2 Analyses Without Coercion

5.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Part III. Nouns

6. Theories of Nouns

6.1 Names

6.1.1 Criteria of Identity

6.1.2 Names as Rigid Designators

6.1.3 Fictional Names

6.2 Reference to Kind

6.2.1 Interpretation of Bare Nouns

6.2.2 Object, Kind, and Stage

6.2.3 Nominalization and Predicativization

6.3 Qualia Structure

6.3.1 Formal and Constitutive Qualia

6.3.2 Telic and Agentive Qualia

6.4 Complex Types

6.4.1 Dot Objects

6.4.2 Product Types and the Object Elaboration

6.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

7. Types of Nouns

7.1 Object and Substance Type Nouns

7.1.1 Many-Sorted Types in the Domain of Things

7.1.2 The Count Versus Mass Distinction

7.1.3 Lattice-Theoretic Analyses of Mass Nouns

7.1.4 Relationship to the Ontology

7.1.5 Universal Packager and Universal Grinder

7.2 Natural Kind and Artifact Object Type Nouns

7.2.1 Philosophical Debates

7.2.2 Artifact Nouns and Telic Qualia

7.3 Animate and Inanimate Natural Kind Object Type Nouns

7.3.1 The Animacy Hierarchy and Grammatical Effects

7.3.2 Shifting Animacy

7.4 Eventuality Type Nouns

7.4.1 Deverbal Nouns

7.4.2 Abstract Nouns

7.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

8. Metonymy and Metaphor

8.1 Metonymy and its Neighboring Concepts

8.1.1 Diverse Relations in Metonymy

8.1.2 Metonymy and Reference Transfer

8.1.3 Metonymy, Coercion, and Dot Objects

8.2 Theories of Metonymy

8.2.1 Radical Pragmatic Theories

8.2.2 Rule-Based Approaches

8.2.3 An Integrated Approach

8.3 Metaphor as Conceptual Domain Mapping

8.3.1 Comparison- and Categorization-Based Theories

8.3.2 Conceptual Metaphor Theory

8.4 Formal Approaches of Metaphor

8.4.1 A Reductionist Approach

8.4.2 An Intensional Approach

8.4.3 A Pragmatic Rule Approach

8.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Part IV. Other Lexical Categories

Chapter 9. Types of Adjectives

9.1 Typology of Adjectives

9.1.1 Overview

9.1.2 Intersective Adjectives

9.1.3 Subsective Adjectives

9.1.4 Intensional Adjectives

9.2 Scale Structure

9.2.1 Absolute and Relative Adjectives

9.2.2 Polar Antonyms

9.3 Non-Dimensional or Evaluative Adjectives

9.3.1 Subjectivity

9.3.2 Context-Sensitivity

9.4 The Order of Attributive Adjectives

9.4.1 Inherent and Non-Inherent Qualities

9.4.2 Intersective and Subsective Readings

9.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Chapter 10. Theories of Adjective Meaning

10.1 Type Homogeneity Versus Heterogeneity Hypotheses

10.1.1 Predicate Versus Modifier Analyses

10.1.2 Doublet Theory

10.1.3 Event-based Theory

10.2 Theories of Vagueness

10.2.1 Vagueness, ambiguity and imprecision

10.2.2 Fuzzy-Logic Theories

10.2.3 Super-Valuation Theories

10.3 Degree-based Theories

10.3.1 Scales and Degrees

10.3.2 Degree Arguments and the Implicit Degree Word

10.4 Predicates of Personal Taste

10.4.1 Relativist Accounts

10.4.2 Contextualist Accounts

10.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Chapter 11. The Semantics of Adverbs

11.1 Interpretive Issues Regarding Adverbs

11.1.1 Adverbs and Adverbials

11.1.2 Predicational and Functional Adverbs

11.1.3 The Universal Adverb Hierarchy

11.2 Typology of Adverbs

11.2.1 Manner Adverbs

11.2.2 Subject-Oriented Adverbs

11.2.3 Speaker-Oriented Adverbs

11.3 Theoretical Approaches to Adverbs

11.3.1 The Predicate Analysis

11.3.2 The Operator Analysis

11.3.3 Analyses of Speech-Act Adverbs

11.4 Treating Adverbs as Arguments of Verbs

11.4.1 Verb Augmentations

11.4.2 Subject-Oriented Readings

11.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Chapter 12. The Semantics of Prepositions

12.1 Typology of Prepositions

12.1.1 Do Prepositions Form a Lexical Category?

12.1.2 Locative and directional prepositions
12.1.3 Algebra of path

12.2 Vector Space Semantics

12.2.1 Problems with the Point Ontology

12.2.2 Vector Ontology

12.2.3 Topological Prepositions in Vector Space Semantics

12.2.4 Projective Prepositions in Vector Space Semantics

12.3 Directional Prepositions

12.3.1 Path

12.3.2 Analyses of Directional Prepositions

12.3.3 Aspectual Properties

12.4 Pragmatics of Prepositions

12.4.1 Functional Aspects

12.4.2 Polysemy

12.4.3 Metaphoric Extensions

12.4.4 Primacy of Spatial Relations

12.5 Conclusion

Suggested Reading

Practice

Epilogue

References

Index

Rezensionen

"This is a well-researched and comprehensive textbook, uniquely organized so as to provide substantial coverage of each of the major lexical categories. Lee's insightful overview serves as an excellent introduction to formal semantic research on the lexicon, suitable for students and researchers alike."

David Stringer, Indiana University, USA