Functional Semantics: A Theory of Meaning, Structure and Tense in English

Preface......Page 6
Part One: Meaning......Page 18
1. Introduction......Page 20
2.1. Introduction......Page 22
2.2. Plato on language and ideas......Page 23
2.3. Aristotle: words and categories......Page 25
2.4. Language and metaphysics in Plato and Aristotle......Page 28
2.5. From classical to modern ontology: logic and the \"linguistic turn\"......Page 30
2.6. The rise and fall of logical reconstruction......Page 33
2.7. Logical and linguistic semantics......Page 46
3.1. Introduction......Page 50
3.2. The \"classical\" computational approach......Page 53
3.3. Language and meaning in the \"classical\" view......Page 58
3.4. Intentionality, mental content and rules......Page 63
3.5. Intentionality and information......Page 66
3.6. The second cognitive revolution: cognitive linguistics and connectionism......Page 69
3.7. Pan-cognitivism: turning behaviourism on its head......Page 72
3.8. Continuity and differentiation: a delicate balance......Page 76
3.9. Cognition: the differentiation and interrelation of skills......Page 80
3.10. Problems with the word \"conceptual\" as used in cognitive linguistics......Page 85
3.11. Conclusion: conceptual meaning „ and why it is not enough......Page 92
4.1. Introduction......Page 96
4.2. The intellectual history of the functional perspective on language......Page 97
4.3. What is \"function\" (if anything)?......Page 105
4.4. Types of functional contexts......Page 110
4.5. A functional account of language and meaning......Page 113
4.6. Meaning and representation: procedural semantics......Page 124
4.7. Concepts and conceptual linguistic meaning in the procedural perspective......Page 132
4.8. Searle on representation and interaction......Page 139
5.1. Introduction......Page 144
5.2. Pragmatics, truth, and Plato......Page 146
5.3. Coded functions and utterance function......Page 149
5.4. The principle of sense......Page 153
5.5. Relevance versus sense: translating interaction into information......Page 156
5.6. Final remarks......Page 163
Part Two: Structure......Page 164
1. Introduction......Page 166
2.2. The ontology of levels......Page 167
2.3. Component-based and function-based structure......Page 171
2.4. Saussurean structuralism: a functional reconstruction......Page 174
2.5. Structure and substance „ arbitrariness and motivation......Page 182
2.6. American structuralism: the Bloomfield-Chomsky tradition......Page 187
2.7. Autonomy in generative thinking: the Pygmalion effect revisited......Page 190
2.8. Generative autonomy: empty or absurd?......Page 193
2.9. Underlying structure I: significant generalizations and the naming fallacy......Page 200
2.10. Underlying structure II: distribution vs semantics......Page 204
2.11. Autonomy: final remarks......Page 207
3.2. On content and expression in syntax......Page 210
3.3. The nature of content elements......Page 217
3.4. Scope and layered clause structure......Page 226
3.5. Process and product in syntactic description The clause as recipe for interpretive action......Page 231
3.6. The nature of syntax: cognitive and evolutionary perspectives......Page 235
3.7. The relation between expression and content syntax......Page 241
3.8. Differences in relation to standard Functional Grammar......Page 245
3.9. Semantic clause structure and grammatical universals......Page 260
4.2. Language structure in Cognitive Grammar......Page 272
4.3. Cognitive Grammar and the distinction between clause meaning and interpretation......Page 278
4.4. Conceptualization embedded in interaction: the top-down aspect of syntactic structure......Page 282
4.5. A closer look at non-conceptual meaning......Page 288
4.6. Two forms of incompleteness: functional and conceptual dependence......Page 292
4.7. Relations between functional and conceptual aspects of \"element\" meanings......Page 299
4.8. Dependence and the division of labour between coded and uncoded meaning......Page 302
4.9. Scope, function and semantic relations: the multidimensionality of semantic structure......Page 305
5. Summary: function, structure, and autonomy......Page 314
Part Three: Tense......Page 328
1. Introduction......Page 330
2.1. Some central positions and concepts......Page 332
2.2. Individual content elements: the deictic tenses......Page 343
2.3. The future......Page 366
2.4. The perfect......Page 393
2.5. The place of tense meanings in the general theory of semantic clause structure......Page 403
3.2. Logical vs. functional operators......Page 408
3.3. Time-referential formulae as emerging from meaning plus structure......Page 413
3.4. Reference time: a family resemblance concept......Page 415
3.5. Tense time, adverbial time and topic time......Page 421
3.6. Adverbials in complex tenses......Page 431
4.1. Tense in subclauses: general remarks......Page 440
4.2. Indirect speech......Page 446
4.3. Tense in conditionals......Page 460
4.4. Functional content syntax and \"normal\" syntax......Page 482
4.5. Tense and discourse......Page 492
5.2. Meaning......Page 514
5.3. Structure......Page 515
5.4. Survey of times......Page 517
5.5. Conceptualization embedded in interaction......Page 518
5.6. Semantics and pragmatics......Page 519
Notes......Page 522
References......Page 550
Index of names......Page 588
Index of subjects......Page 594