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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.

Keywords: language univerals; model structure; semantic theory; syntax; semantics

@incollection{bach09LUchapter,
  author={Emmon Bach and Wynn Chao},
  title={On Semantic Universals and Typology},
  year={2009},
  pages={152-174},
  chapter={8},
  editor={M.H. Christiansen and C. Collins and S. Edelman},
  publisher={Oxford University Press},
  booktitle={Language Universals},
  url={http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~amag/langev/paper/bach09LUchapter.html},
  keywords={language univerals; model structure; semantic theory; syntax; semantics}
}