20.131, Books: Semantics: Burton-Roberts

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LINGUIST List: Vol-20-131. Wed Jan 14 2009. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 20.131, Books: Semantics: Burton-Roberts

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1)
Date: 14-Jan-2009
From: Daniel Davies < ddavies at cambridge.org >
Subject: The Limits to Debate: Burton-Roberts

 

	
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Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:02:34
From: Daniel Davies [ddavies at cambridge.org]
Subject: The Limits to Debate: Burton-Roberts

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Title: The Limits to Debate 
Subtitle: A Revised Theory of Semantic Presupposition 
Series Title: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 51  

Publication Year: 2009 
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
	   http://us.cambridge.org
	
Author: Noel Burton-Roberts

Paperback: ISBN:  9780521101936 Pages:  Price: U.K. £ 19.99
Paperback: ISBN:  9780521101936 Pages:  Price: U.S. $ 36.99


Abstract:

Exponents and critics of semantic presupposition have almost invariably
based their discussion on the ('Standard') definition of presupposition
implied by Frege and Strawson. In this study Noel Burton-Roberts argues
convincingly against this definition, that leads it to a three-valued
semantics. He presents a very simple semantic definition which is weaker,
more general and leads to a semantics more easily interpreted as two-valued
with gaps. The author shows that a wide range of intuitive facts that
eluded the Standard definition follow directly from this ('Revised')
definition itself: facts about the presuppositions of compound sentences
and modal sentences, about presuppositional conflict and about differences
in the logical status of simple sentences suffering from presupposition
failure. The book includes a detailed argument that an ambiguity of natural
language negation, generally assumed to be necessary to the defence of
semantic presupposition, is neither possible nor necessary in a
presuppositional semantics. Noel Burton-Roberts has made an authoritative
contribution to a debate which has involved philosophers and linguists for
many years. His command of the issues, his clarity of exposition and his
theoretical insight may well serve to change the boundaries of that debate. 



Preface; 

Introduction; 

Part I. The Prevailing Concept of Semantic Presupposition: 
1. The Standard Logical Definition of Presupposition; 
2. Further aspects of the prevailing concept; 

Part II. The Distinction between a Trivalent Logic and a Two-Valued Logic
with Gaps: 
3. Developing the distinction; 
4. Classical validity and the distinction; 
5. Standard presupposition and the distinction; 

Part III. Presupposition in a Two-Valued Logic with Gaps; 
6. The base definition and its projective implications; 
7. Generalised presupposition; 
8. Projective properties of generalised presupposition; 
9. Revised presupposition and the logical status of simple sentences; 
10. The pragmatics of 'presupposition cancellation'; 

Epilogue; 

Notes; 

Bibliography; 

Index. 


Linguistic Field(s): Linguistic Theories
                     Semantics


Written In: English  (eng)
	
See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=38980


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