An Introduction to English Semantics and Pragmatics

Patrick Griffiths’ An Introduction to English Semantics and Pragmatics offers a clear and concise exploration of how meaning is constructed and communicated in the English language. Published by Edinburgh University Press in 2006 as a paperback, the book introduces readers to the dual dimensions of meaning: semantics - the potential of language - and pragmatics - its practical usage. With a focused yet comprehensive approach, the volume guides students through key concepts such as denotation, various sense relations, and event types alongside introductory discussions on implicature, presupposition, metaphor, reference, speech acts, and an elementary overview of Generalised Quantifier Theory. The text is systematically organized to encourage both consolidation and extension of the reader’s knowledge. Through numerous examples and carefully crafted exercises, it delves into the semantic nuances of adjectives, nouns, and verbs, and examines scenario types, figurative language, tense, aspect, modality, quantification, topic, and focus. Compact and self-contained, this book provides an accessible foundation for further study in formal semantics while nurturing the ability to argue for informed linguistic analyses.