The Mathematics Of Language Marcus Kracht by Marcus Kracht 9783110176209, 3110176203 instant download after payment.

This text studies language and linguistic theories from a mathematical point of view. Starting with ideas already contained in Montague's work, it develops the mathematical foundations of modern linguistics. It equips the reader with all the background necessary to understand and evaluate theories as diverse as Montague Grammar, Categorical Grammar, HPSG and GB. The mathematical tools are mainly from universal algebra and logic, but no particular knowledge is presupposed beyond a certain mathematical sophistication that is in any case needed in order to fruitfully work within these theories. The presentation focuses on abstract mathematical structures and their computational properties, but plenty of examples from different natural languages are provided to illustrate the main concepts and results. In contrast to books devoted to so-called formal language theory, languages are seen here as semiotic systems, that is, as systems of signs. A language sign correlates form with meaning. Using the principle of compositionality, it is possible to gain substantial insight into the interaction between form and meaning in natural languages.