A History of Lexical Semantics

The book delves into the evolution of lexical semantics from a historical perspective, tracing its development from the nineteenth century to modern linguistics. It highlights the transition to a synchronic approach and its implications for both descriptive and theoretical semantics. The analysis distinguishes between European and American structural linguistics and examines various competing semantic models within transformational generative grammar. Key scholars such as Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield, and Martin Joos are discussed in detail, showcasing their contributions to the field.