Explorations in Semantics – serie

Structuring Events presents a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect for anyone interested in the study of verb meanings. Provides an introduction to aspectual classes and aspectual distinctions.Utilizes case studies to present a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect and compare it with alternative theories.Useful for students and scholars in semantics and syntax as well as the neighboring fields of pragmatics and philosophy of language.

Structuring Events presents a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect for anyone interested in the study of verb meanings. Provides an introduction to aspectual classes and aspectual distinctions.Utilizes case studies to present a novel semantic theory of lexical aspect and compare it with alternative theories.Useful for students and scholars in semantics and syntax as well as the neighboring fields of pragmatics and philosophy of language.

Compositionality in Formal Semantics is a collection of Barbara Partee’s papers that have been influential in the field but are not readily available and includes a new introductory essay in which Partee reflects on how her thinking and the field of semantics have developed over the past 35 years. Brings together, in one volume, influential but difficult to find papers by one of the most important researchers in formal semantics.Includes a new introductory essay in which Partee reflects on how her research and the field of semantics have developed over the past 35 years.Discusses critical themes in semantic theory.

The Proper Treatment of Events offers a novel approach to the semantics of tense and aspect motivated by cognitive considerations. offers a new theory of the semantics of tense aspect and nominalizations that combines formal semantics and cognitive approacheswritten accessibly for students and scholars in theoretical linguists, as well as in philosophy of language, logic, cognitive science, and computer scienceaccompanied by a website at (http://staff.science.uva.nl/~michiell/) that provides slides for instructors and background material for students

The Proper Treatment of Events offers a novel approach to the semantics of tense and aspect motivated by cognitive considerations. offers a new theory of the semantics of tense aspect and nominalizations that combines formal semantics and cognitive approacheswritten accessibly for students and scholars in theoretical linguists, as well as in philosophy of language, logic, cognitive science, and computer scienceaccompanied by a website at (http://staff.science.uva.nl/~michiell/) that provides slides for instructors and background material for students

Sense and Sensitivity advances a novel research proposal in the nascent field of formal pragmatics, exploring in detail the semantics and pragmatics of focus in natural language discourse. The authors develop a new account of focus sensitivity, and show that what has hitherto been regarded as a uniform phenomenon in fact results from three different mechanisms. The book Makes a major contribution to ongoing research in the area of focus sensitivity – a field exploring interactions between sound and meaning, specifically the dependency some words have on the effects of focus, such as "she only LIKES me" (i.e. nothing deeper) compared to "she only likes ME" (i.e. nobody else)Discusses the features of the QFC theory (Quasi association, Free association, and Conventional association), a new account of focus implying a tripartite typology of focus-sensitive expressionsPresents novel cross-linguistic data on focus and focus sensitivity that will be relevant across a range of linguistic sub-fields: semantics and pragmatics, syntax, and intonational phonologyConcludes with a case study of exclusives (like “only”), arguing that the entire existing literature has missed crucial generalizations, and for the first time explaining the focus sensitivity of these expressions in terms of their meaning and discourse function

Sense and Sensitivity advances a novel research proposal in the nascent field of formal pragmatics, exploring in detail the semantics and pragmatics of focus in natural language discourse. The authors develop a new account of focus sensitivity, and show that what has hitherto been regarded as a uniform phenomenon in fact results from three different mechanisms. The book Makes a major contribution to ongoing research in the area of focus sensitivity – a field exploring interactions between sound and meaning, specifically the dependency some words have on the effects of focus, such as "she only LIKES me" (i.e. nothing deeper) compared to "she only likes ME" (i.e. nobody else)Discusses the features of the QFC theory (Quasi association, Free association, and Conventional association), a new account of focus implying a tripartite typology of focus-sensitive expressionsPresents novel cross-linguistic data on focus and focus sensitivity that will be relevant across a range of linguistic sub-fields: semantics and pragmatics, syntax, and intonational phonologyConcludes with a case study of exclusives (like “only”), arguing that the entire existing literature has missed crucial generalizations, and for the first time explaining the focus sensitivity of these expressions in terms of their meaning and discourse function

Indefinites and the Type of Sets explores a new theory of indefinite noun phrase interpretation and definiteness effects. Provides an introduction to aspects of the semantics of noun phrases, as well as comparing alternate theories.Explores a new theory of indefinite noun phrase interpretation and definiteness effects.Written accessibly by one of the world’s most prominent formal semanticists.Useful for students and scholars in formal semantics as well as the neighboring fields of syntax, pragmatics, and the philosophy of language.

Indefinites and the Type of Sets explores a new theory of indefinite noun phrase interpretation and definiteness effects. Provides an introduction to aspects of the semantics of noun phrases, as well as comparing alternate theories.Explores a new theory of indefinite noun phrase interpretation and definiteness effects.Written accessibly by one of the world’s most prominent formal semanticists.Useful for students and scholars in formal semantics as well as the neighboring fields of syntax, pragmatics, and the philosophy of language.

Temporality surveys the ways in which languages of different types refer to past, present, and future events, through an in-depth examination of four major language types: tense-based English, tense-aspect-based Polish, aspect-based Chinese, and mood-based Kalaallisut. Cutting-edge research on directly compositional dynamic semantics of languages with and without grammatical tenseNew in-depth analysis of temporal, aspectual, modal, as well as nominal discourse referencePresents a novel logical language for representing linguistic meaning (Update with Centering)Develops a unified theory of tense, aspect, mood, and person as different types of ‘grammatical centering systems’