In this book, two related phenomena are studied: presupposition and anaphora. Dynamic semantics is by now widely accepted as a first-rate foundation for such an exercise and it forms the backbone of most of the work in this book.
A recurring additional theme of the present book is the usefulness of techniques from partial logic in the treatment of both phenomena.
Rather than adding completely new semantic theories to the present gamut of theories, the author discusses a number of existing approaches which aim at accounting for the behavior of presuppositions and/or anaphors, makes improvements where necessary, and compares the results.
Presupposition and Anaphora starts with an introduction to a number of dynamic semantic theories and their correlations, paying special attention to the treatment of disjunctions and negations. Subsequently, presuppositions are studied in the context of partial logics, Montague Grammar and dynamic semantics. Finally, the author zooms in on one type of presuppositions, namely those triggered by definite noun phrases.
From the review in Linguistics, Volume 37-2001
"This book shows great erudition and competence in discussing rival theories. It also places the study of presupposition on a better footing by considering the analogies between anaphora resolution and presupposition resolution. I personally find this book very instructive and well-constructed, one of those books which can be read with great interest in so far as it raises important questions. . . .
I am persuaded that Krahmer's book represents a good monograph on the issue of presupposition and anaphora, one that does not hesitate to delve into problems in an attempt to resolve them. I believe that this is an important chapter of linguistics and that many avenues of research can be opened up by it." -- Alessandro Capone, University of Messina
