New Book Release

Issue no. 4 of the “Introductory Texts in Linguistics“ series.

The five books of the “Introductory Texts in Linguistics“ series are intended to give a comprehensive overview of the main areas of linguistics—historically, methodologically, and theoretically—for use in linguistic pedagogy. Each volume covers a specific area of linguistic science—from the study of sound systems to the use of language in social and communicative contexts. They can be used individually or as a set for courses in linguistics or as a background referential source of ideas and research in the five areas that scholars can utilize. They are all written in an accessible style, so that they can be easily adopted in any type of introductory course.

Each text expounds and illustrates both traditional and contemporary approaches to the study of language. The titles of the five individual volumes are:

- Introduction to Phonology (Volume 1),

- Introduction to Morphology (Volume 2),

- Introduction to Syntax (Volume 3),

- Introduction to Semantics (Volume 4), and

- Introduction to Pragmatics (Volume 5).

About the author

Prof. Marcel Danesi is known for his work in semiotics and youth culture. He has published as well on the meanings of popular culture and how they inform social evolution. He has also written textbooks introducing linguistics and semiotics, and published a series of books on advertising as a sign system.

Preface 

1. Semantics 
Introduction 
Meaning 
Types of Meaning 
Concepts 
Meaning Relations 
Concluding Remarks 

2. Structural Semantics 
Introduction 
Opposition Theory 
Types of Opposition 
Markedness 
The Semantic Differential 
Concluding Remarks 

3. Lexical Semantics 
Introduction 
Distinctive Semantic Features 
Lexical Fields 
Prototype Semantics 
Concluding Remarks 

4. Contextual-Cultural Semantics 
Introduction 

Context 
Onomastics 
Concluding Remarks 

5. Cognitive Semantics 
Introduction 
Conceptual Metaphors 
Image Schemas 
Idealized Cognitive Models 
Frames and Layers 
Metonymy and Irony 
Concluding Remarks 

6. Ethnosemantics 
Introduction 
Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis 
Kinship Vocabularies 
Ethnosemantic Method 
Concluding Remarks 

7. Miscellaneous Topics 
Introduction 
Historical Semantics 
Borrowing 
Formal Semantics 
Concluding Remarks 

Glossary
References 
Index