Meaning and semantic composition

Abstract

This chapter explores the theory of the relation between syntax and meaning, examining how the meaning of an utterance is determined on the basis of its syntactic structure. The existence of a separate level of semantic structure or s-structure, related to the f-structure by a correspondence function is assumed. Some previous LFG approaches to semantics and the syntax-semantics interface are briefly reviewed before an introduction to the glue approach to semantic composition (Section 8.5). This approach, which is adopted in the rest of the book, provides a firm theoretical foundation for the discussions and analyses that are presented. The properties of thefragment of linear logic that are used in this book are introduced in Section 8.7. A detailed account of the semantics of quantification within the glue approach is provided in Section 8.8. The representation of semantic features is discussed in Section 8.9, and how to represent tense and aspect inSection 8.10.