From meaning to text: Semantic representation in the Meaning-Text linguistic theory and a new type of monolingual dictionary

Authors

Igor A. Mel'čuk, University of Montreal

DOI

10.31356/silwp.vol31.04

Abstract

From the introduction: "The Meaning-Text Theory (MTT) is not simply another of numerous linguistic theories, which proliferate to such an extent nowadays that there are almost as many theories as there are practicing linguists. The MTT is truly different in that is puts quite a new emphasis on "sprachlich" meaning, taking it as a cornerstone of language description as a whole; accordingly, semantics is declared and, most importantly, actually treated as the central linguistic discipline (which, among other things, underlies syntax and morphology).

"The Meaning-Text Theory is by no means a novelty. It was launched in 1965, in Moscow, by A. Zholkovsky (now at the University of Southern California) and the present author: Zolkovskij and Mel'čuk 1965. Later, we were joined by Ju. D. Apresjan. Since that time, the MTT has been developing over the past 20 years (see Mel'čuk 1981 and Nakhimovsky 1983). However, the MTT still lacks an easily available and sufficiently detailed presentation in English, a gap which this paper tries to fill, at least in part, by outlining the two following topics:

(i) General structure of the MTT (with special attention to its semantic chapter) (Sect. 2).

(ii) A new type of monolingual dictionary, or lexicon, which according to the MTT constitutes the central part of the semantic component of any full-fledged "sprachlich" model (Sec. 3)."

Recommended Citation

Mel'čuk, Igor A. (1987) "From meaning to text: Semantic representation in the Meaning-Text linguistic theory and a new type of monolingual dictionary," Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session: Vol. 31, Article 4.
DOI: 10.31356/silwp.vol31.04
Available at: https://commons.und.edu/sil-work-papers/vol31/iss1/4