Emmon Bach (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, & School of Oriental and African Studies, London) On morphosemantics: the internal meaning of words

The central question is this: Are the meanings and semantic relations to be found within words the same as those that we find when words are put together into phrases? A positive answer is suggested in theories that derive words and their meanings "in the syntax." I argue against this view basing the discussion largely on what we see in languages that are heavily polysynthetic in the traditional sense. Answering the question requires preliminary clarification of what we mean by "meaning," "word," and "semantic relation." I will be taking the point of view of model-theoretic semantics as an explication of one central component of meaning. The linguistic materials used in my argument are drawn largely from North American languages, particularly Wakashan and other languages of the Pacific Northwest.