Elements of formal semantics: An introduction to the mathematical theory of meaning in natural language

Scholars get interested in semantics for all kinds of reasons. Some of us are primarily interested in connections with formal pragmatics, lexical semantics, logic, philosophy of language, epistemology, or one or another branch of metaphysics. Some are mainly interested in syntactic connections – often, in devising a theory of meaning that complements a preferred model of syntax. Others are concerned about the relationship between meaning and language processing, or reasoning and concepts, or connections with culture. And then there are those who are not primarily interested in one of these interfaces, but instead in the internal structure of meaning in natural languages – in what kinds of formal systems could capture the various kinds of inferential connections between words, phrases, and sentences. As we might expect, then, there are numerous introductory textbooks available that cater to many different perspectives.