new book : semantics new course book peter harder functional semantics a theory of meaning , structure and tense in english 1997 . 23 x 15 , 5 cm . xv , 586 pages . paperback dm 58 , - / approx . us $ 41 . 00 isbn 3-11 - 015721 - 7 mouton de gruyter * berlin * new york what is the role of meaning in relation to linguistic structure ? this book tells the story of meaning from plato to the present , and shows why the accepted current picture of linguistic meaning is wrong as well as confusing . the book argues that the essential job of syntax is to combine simpler meanings into more complex meanings ; that ` semantic ' meaning is essentially interactive ; that the evolution of syntax is bound up with the development of purely conceptual meaning - and that this is reflected in universal regularities of clause structure . the core of linguistic structure is constituted by functional-interactive meanings in syntactic collaboration , and tense in english is used to illustrate this claim . examination copies for course adoption are available upon request . please contact the publisher . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ mouton de gruyter walter de gruyter , inc . postfach 30 34 21 200 saw mill river road d-10728 berlin hawthorne , ny 10532 germany usa fax : + 49 ( 0 ) 30 26005-351 fax : + 1 914 747-1326 email : 100064 . 2307 @ compuserve . com publications by de gruyter can also be ordered via world wide web : http : / / www . degruyter . de