Journal of Language and Linguistics
Vol. 1 No. 3 2002
ISSN 1475 - 8989
Review Article
Understanding Semantics
Sebastian Loebner
Arnold, May 2002 http://www.arnoldpublishers.com
Series: Understanding Language Series, series editors Bernard Comrie and Greville
Corbett.
Paperback
GBP14.99
ISBN 0 340 73198 2
Hardback
GBP45.00
ISBN 0 340 73197 4
Understanding Semantics sets out to be a complete introduction to the field, starting
with basic concepts, moving through central questions, and examining the
methodologies
of
structuralist,
cognitive
and
logical
(formal)
semantics.
It is a careful and thorough volume which should be the set text of choice for every
undergraduate course in semantics. The format is a didactic one of chapter followed
by a checklist (an aide memoire of key words, terms and names), exercises, and
suggestions for further reading. The lecturer is presented with a ready-made course;
the student with a key tool for the study of semantics. Both will benefit from
Professor Loebner’s clear presentation of the breadth of ideas and methods of a broad
subject.
Yet this volume can be more than just a linguistics text book. The clarity of
presentation and step by step approach makes the book accessible to students of many
disciplines, and even for the general reader who wishes to understand something of
semantics.
The book is supported by a web page at the URL below; all academic books should
have this sort of on-line back up.
http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/~loebner/und-sem
Available on-line from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340731982/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202
-3627978-6942215
Graeme Davis
University of Northumbria, UK
338