The Oxford Introductions to Language Study is a series of brief, clear introductions to the main areas of language study. These books are written for teachers and students of linguistics and language studies. The layout is carefully structured and easy for readers to follow. Each book is split into three main sections: Survey - an outline of the key concepts and current thinking. Readings - authentic writings from experts and established names. References - suggestions for further reading. Semantics Semantics looks at what words are and how they have multiple meanings and forms. It discusses groupings of lexical items, approaches to analysing the semantic structure of words, and the relationship of meanings to syntactic structure. This is a short, accessible introduction to this key area of language study by a respected expert in the field. The author describes some of the creative processes by which new senses develop for words and phrases, and informs the reader about current thinking and acts as a guide for further enquiry.