Studying Meaning

Semantics and Pragmatics

Sandrine Zufferey (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Jacques Moeschler

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English

Routledge
30 September 2025

Semantics

Studying Meaning provides a comprehensive introduction to semantics and pragmatics, covering all key concepts and new developments in an accessible manner. By introducing semantics and pragmatics together, the book compares their contributions to meaning and provides a coherent view. It also highlights where the boundaries between these disciplines lie.

The 14 chapters trace the historical development of semantics and pragmatics and incorporate recent subfields such as cognitive semantics, embodiment theories, and intercultural pragmatics. The book offers an up-to-date overview of research methodologies, drawing on examples from various languages and empirical data from corpora. Each chapter ends with a list of questions and exercises. This text provides an accessible yet comprehensive exploration of how meaning is conveyed in communication, covering linguistic, cognitive, and social aspects. Online support materials are provided to enhance and deepen understanding of the text.

Assuming no prior knowledge, this is essential reading for students of semantics, pragmatics, linguistics, and related fields.

By: Sandrine Zufferey (University of Fribourg Switzerland), Jacques Moeschler
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781041058328
ISBN 10: 1041058322
Pages: 174
Publication Date: 30 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

1. A brief introduction to semantics and pragmatics 2. Language, thoughts and the world 3. Lexical semantics 4. Meaning relations between sentences 5. The semantic structure of sentences 6. Meaning and categories 7. Cognitive semantics 8. Meaning in pragmatics: from conventions to inferences 9. Pragmatic inferences: implicatures and explicatures 10. Discourse pragmatics 11. Pragmatics and social relations 12. Cross-cultural and intercultural pragmatics 13. Pragmatics and cognition 14. Semantics and pragmatics: where are the boundaries?

Sandrine Zufferey is full professor of French linguistics at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Jacques Moeschler is emeritus professor at the Department of Linguistics, University of Geneva, Switzerland.