This volume provides an introduction to semantics for readers new to the subject. The aim of the book is to offer an introduction which is concise and accessible whilst at the same time thorough and up-to-date. The first chapters introduce central topics in the description of word and sentence meaning, and the second part comprises chapters which look at the relation of semantics to neighbouring disciplines such as cognition, social interaction, language comparison and history, and literature. These sections make clear the ways in which semantics is connected with other disciplines. Each chapter includes a summary, a checklist of key terms, exercises with answers in the back, further exercises without answers, and suggestions for further reading.