Semantics: A Coursebook

Citation

Hurford, J. R., Heasley, B., & Smith, M. B. (2007). Semantics: A Coursebook (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Chapter Summary

The second edition has 27 units in six parts, about 345 pages, preceded by prefaces and a section on how to use the book, and followed by selected references with recommendations for further study and an index. The publisher describes the method: each unit consists of short sections of explanation with examples, followed by practice exercises to complete in the book, each with feedback and comment so that students can check their progress. The preface to the second edition, by Michael Smith, says the new edition keeps the introductory audience of the first, adds minor clarifications and extra examples to most units, and adds a set of exercises and study questions at the end of each unit, developed in his introductory semantics course at Oakland University. Answers to these new end-of-unit questions are not printed; suggested answers are available to instructors online. A new final unit on non-literal meaning was also added.

Part 1: Basic ideas in semantics (Units 1–3: About semantics; Sentences, utterances, and propositions; Reference and sense)

The opening part introduces the subject and its basic distinctions: between sentences, utterances and propositions, and between reference and sense. Unit 1 is the longest of the three (15 pages); the publisher says students begin by discovering the value and fascination of the subject.

Part 2: From reference … (Units 4–8: Referring expressions; Predicates; Predicates, referring expressions, and universe of discourse; Deixis and definiteness; Words and things: extensions and prototypes)

The second and third parts form a pair, as their titles ("From reference …" and "… to sense") show. Part 2 deals with the reference side: which expressions refer, what predicates are, how both relate to a universe of discourse, deixis and definiteness, and the extensions of words alongside prototypes.

Part 3: … to sense (Units 9–11: Sense properties and stereotypes; Sense relations (1); Sense relations (2))

Part 3 turns to sense: sense properties and stereotypes, and two units on sense relations, the second of which (21 pages) is the longest unit in the first half of the book.

Part 4: Logic (Units 12–15: About logic; A notation for simple propositions; Connectives: and and or; More connectives)

An introduction to elementary logic: what logic is for in semantics, a notation for writing simple propositions, and the logical connectives, starting with and and or.

Part 5: Word meaning (Units 16–20: About dictionaries; Meaning postulates; Properties of predicates; Derivation; Participant roles)

Word meaning approached through dictionaries and through meaning postulates, followed by properties of predicates, derivation (19 pages) and participant roles.

Part 6: Interpersonal and non-literal meaning (Units 21–27: Speech acts; Perlocutions and illocutions; Felicity conditions; Direct and indirect illocutions; Propositions and illocutions; Conversational implicature; Non-literal meaning: idioms, metaphor, and metonymy)

The final part covers what the publisher calls interpersonal meaning: five units build up speech act theory, from speech acts and the distinction between perlocutions and illocutions through felicity conditions, direct and indirect illocutions, and the relation of propositions to illocutions. Conversational implicature follows, and the new Unit 27 on idioms, metaphor and metonymy closes the book.

Key Concepts

Parts 1–3: Reference and sense

• Sentence, utterance and proposition: the three levels at which meaning is analysed in the opening units.
• Reference and sense: what an expression picks out in the world, as opposed to its place in the system of meanings.
• Universe of discourse: the world, real or imagined, that a conversation is about.
• Deixis: expressions whose interpretation depends on the speaker's situation.
• Prototypes and stereotypes: typical members of a category and typical beliefs associated with a word.
• Sense relations: relations between the senses of words, treated over two units.

Parts 4–5: Logic and word meaning

• Logical notation: a simple formal way of writing propositions.
• Connectives: words such as and and or and their logical counterparts.
• Meaning postulates: statements that capture what a word's meaning entails.
• Participant roles: the roles, such as agent, that participants play in the situation a verb describes.

Part 6: Interpersonal and non-literal meaning

• Illocution and perlocution: the act performed in saying something, and its effect on the hearer.
• Felicity conditions: the conditions under which a speech act is appropriately performed.
• Indirect illocutions: speech acts performed by means of a sentence of another type.
• Conversational implicature: meaning conveyed beyond what is literally said.
• Idiom, metaphor and metonymy: kinds of non-literal meaning.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• A true workbook. Short explanations alternate with practice exercises done in the book, each followed by feedback, so readers check their understanding as they go. The format suits self-study as well as classes. Alexander Bergs, quoted by the publisher, wrote that no other book integrates theory and practice so well.
• No background needed. The publisher states that no previous background in semantics is assumed, and the preface keeps the first edition's introductory audience. Billy Clark, also quoted, called it an excellent first step that presents difficult concepts accessibly.
• Broad coverage at an introductory level. Six parts take the reader from reference and sense through elementary logic and word meaning to speech acts, implicature and non-literal meaning, so one book covers most topics of a first course in meaning.
• Two levels of exercise. The in-text practices come with feedback, while the end-of-unit exercises and study questions added in this edition go further and are left without printed answers; instructors can obtain suggested answers online.

Limitations

• Unanswered end-of-unit questions. The preface explains that answers to the new end-of-unit questions are deliberately not printed, which encourages independent work but leaves self-study readers without a way to check those exercises.
• Elementary logic only. Part 4 introduces simple propositions and connectives; quantification and the compositional methods of formal semantics are beyond the book's scope.
• Pragmatics through speech acts. Six of the seven units in Part 6 are on speech acts and implicature; other pragmatic topics, such as presupposition and discourse, have no units of their own.
• Age. The second edition dates from 2007 and has not been revised since.

Where It Fits in the Course

This is the starting point of the course. It assumes nothing and teaches by practice, so it suits students meeting semantics for the first time, before or alongside a longer textbook. John Saeed's Semantics and Alan Cruse's Meaning in Language are the natural next books: Saeed is a student-friendly survey that adds more on theoretical approaches, and Cruse is a longer, theory-neutral introduction with particular depth on word meaning and grammatical meaning. Students who have worked through Hurford, Heasley and Smith will find their first chapters familiar and can move faster.

For pragmatics, Betty Birner's Introduction to Pragmatics extends Part 6 to presupposition, reference and discourse structure, and Stephen Levinson's Pragmatics is the systematic, more advanced treatment. Irene Heim and Angelika Kratzer's Semantics in Generative Grammar is a graduate text in compositional formal semantics; Part 4 here is a first preparation for its use of logic but no more.

How to Use This Book

The book suits first-year students of linguistics or English language, students of other subjects taking a first course in semantics, and anyone teaching themselves. No previous study of linguistics is needed.

A reading plan:

• Read "How to use this book" first. It explains the unit format.
• Work through Parts 1–3 in order. The two parts on reference and sense are designed as a sequence, and later parts depend on their terminology.
• Part 4 comes before word meaning in the book's order; keep that order unless the course leaves logic out.
• Part 6 can be read after Part 3 in a course that wants pragmatics early.
• Pace: one or two units per week fits a one-semester course; most units run to 9–16 pages.

Do every practice exercise before reading the feedback, and write out answers rather than checking mentally. Use the end-of-unit exercises and study questions for revision or discussion, and compare answers with classmates or a tutor since they are not answered in the book. Use the selected references at the end to choose a second textbook.