On Semantic Universals and Typology

Chao, Wynn; Bach, Emmon

Abstract

Starting from the assumption that syntactic categories can be universally identified or correlated (whether or not they are instantiated in every languages), this chapter investigates the relation between them and their semantic interpretations, focusing on the nominal domain. It considers two possibilities: first, there might be a universal stock of categories from which individual languages might draw; second, there may be hypotheses that all languages must instantiate particular categories. The situation in phonological systems is illuminating: the stock of possible sounds is given by a general theory of phonetics-phonology, but not all of the categories need be utilized in every language

Citation

Chao, W., & Bach, E. (2009). On Semantic Universals and Typology. In C. Collins, M. Christiansen, & S. Edelman (Eds.), Language Universals (152-173). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780195305432.001.0001

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Jul 10, 2012
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 152-173
• Book Title: Language Universals
• ISBN: 9780195305432
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780195305432.001.0001
• Keywords: semantic universals, universal grammar, syntax-semantics mapping, cartography and compositionality, quantification, structure and interpretation in the nominal domain, lexical semantics
• Publisher URL: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305432.001.0001/acprof-9780195305432-chapter-8