Semantics, Pragmatics and Meaning Revisited - The Case of Conditionals

This book systematically investigates what follows about meaning in language if current views on the limited, or even redundant, role of linguistic semantics are taken to their radical conclusion. Focusing on conditionals, the book defends a wholly pragmatic, wholly inferential account of meaning - one which foregrounds a reasoning subject's individual state of mind. The topics discussed in the book include conceptual content, internalism and externalism, the semantics-pragmatics distinction, meaning holism and explicit versus implicit communication. These topics and the author's analysis of conditionals will allow the reader to engage with some traditional and current research in linguistics, philosophy and psychology.

List of contents

Introduction.- PART I: Semantics, Pragmatics and Meaning.- Chapter 1. Conceptual Correlates of Words.- Chapter 2. The Locus of Semantics and the Decoding-inferring Distinction.- Chapter 3. Revisiting Holism.- PART II: Conditionals.- Chapter 4. The Meaning of if.- Chapter 5. Holistic and Individualistic Constraints on Interpretation.- Conclusion.

About the author

 Dr Magdalena Sztencel is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at York St John University, UK.

Summary

Engages with current views and topics on meaning in language
Proposes a novel solution to a thus far unresolved debate
Synthesizes philosophical and linguistic tradition with up-to-date research in psychology

Product details

• Authors: Magdalena Sztencel
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2019
• EAN: 9783319887166
• ISBN: 978-3-31-988716-6
• No. of pages: 195
• Dimensions: 157 mm x 14 mm x 235 mm
• Weight: 330 g
• Illustrations: XVI, 195 p. 7 illus.
• Series: Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology; Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Sprachphilosophie, B, Semiotik und Semiologie, Philosophy of Language, Linguistics, Pragmatics, Psycholinguistik und Kognitive Linguistik, Social Sciences, Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Lingusitics, Psycholinguistics, Language and languages—Philosophy, Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Semantics, Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics