An Introduction to Lexical Semantics: A Formal Approach to Word Meaning and its Composition

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 and teachers of formal semantics.

Table of Contents:
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