Problems of Compositionality

This book is a critical discussion of the principle of compositionality, the thesis that the meaning of a complex expression is fully determined by the meanings of its constituents and its structure. The aim of the book is threefold: to clarify what is meant by this principle, to show that its traditional justification is insufficient, and to discuss some of the problems that have to be addressed before a new attempt can be made to justify it. The book is primarily written for philosophers of language, but it is of interest to linguists and psychologists as well.