Does context and context-dependence belong to the research agenda of semantics - and, specifically, of formal semantics? Not so long ago many linguists and philosophers would probably have given a negative answer to the question. However, recent developments in formal semantics have indicated that analyzing natural language semantics without a thorough accommodation of context-dependence is next to impossible. The classification of the ways in which context and context-dependence enter semantic analysis, though, is still a matter of much controversy and some of these disputes are ventilated in the present collection. This book is not only a collection of papers addressing context-dependence and methods for dealing with it: it also records comments to the papers and the authors' replies to the comments. In this way, the contributions themselves are contextually dependent. In view of the fact that the contributors to the volume are such key figures in contemporary formal semantics as Hans Kamp, Barbara Partee, Reinhard Muskens, Nicholas Asher, Manfred Krifka, Jaroslav Peregrin and many others, the book represents a quite unique inquiry into the current activities on the semantics side of the semantics/pragmatics boundary.

Table of Contents:
I. Papers Empty-domain Effects for Presuppositional and Non-presuppositional Determiners, D. Abush, M. Rooth From Discourse Macro-Structure to Micro-Structure and Back Again: Discourse Semantics and the Focus/Background Distinction, N. Asher Fixing the Reference Situations: German Temporal Conjunctions, R. Bauerle Accommodating Topics, D. Beaver On Context and Identity, P. Dekker Are Context Change Potentials Functions?, T. Fernando A Minimal Theory of Adverbial Quantification, Kai von Fintel Focus and the Boundaries of the Language System, E. Hajičova Focus and/or Context: A Second Look at Second Occurrence Expressions, M. Krifka Topic, Focus, and Some Aspects of the Semantics of Discourse, P. Kubon Why not Kim Basinger? On the Art des Gegebenseins of a Contextually Given Set, A. Merin Order-Independence and Underspecification, R. Muskens Dynamic Semantics with Choice Functions, J. Peregrin, K. von Heusinger Topics and the Conceptual Interface, T. Reinhart Presuppositions of Existence and of Uniqueness, and Allegation, P. Sgall Tertiumne Datur? Possessive Pronouns and the Bipartition of the Lexicon, T.E. Zimmermann II. Comments Comments on Tim Fernando: Mathematical Treatments of Contexts, N. Asher Comments on Manfred Krifka: Can Pragmatic Accounts Explain Pseudo-Secondary Effects of Focus?, N. Asher Comments on Asher and Krifka: Acoustic Correlates of Second Occurrence Focus: Toward and Experimental Investigation, C. Bartels Comments on Beavers and von Fintels Theories of Presuppostition Accommodation, S. Berman Comments on Zimmermann: Tertium Evitari Non Potest: On Ede Zimmermanns Bipartition of the Lexicon, M. Bierwisch Cases, Adverbs, Situations and Events, P. Dekker Comments on Beaver: Presupposition Accomodation and Quantifier Domains, Kai von Fintel Comments on Reinhart: The Syntactic Roots of Discourse Cohesion, Kai von Fintel Comments on von Fintel, E Hajičova Remarks on Focus Sensitive Particles (to Krifkas and von Fintels Papers), E. Hajičova, Petr Sgall Remarks on DRT and TFA, E. Hajičova, P. Sgall Comments on Kaplans Demonstratives and Zimmermanns Tertiumne Datur? Possessive Pronouns and the Bipartition of the Lexicon, H. Kamp, A. Robetadeutcher Comments on Dekker, J. Peregrin Comments on Krifka, J. Peregrin A Comment on Reinhard Muskens Paper: Order Independence and Underspecification, M. Pinkal Comments on Krifkas Paper, M. Rooth Topichood and the Stage/Individual Distinction, H. de Swart Negation: Scope and Anaphora, H. de Swart Topic, Focus, and Presupposition, H. de Swart Remarks on the Epistemic Role of Discourse Referents, T.E. Zimmermann III. Authors Replies Minimal Replies to: Dekker, Hajičova & Sgall, Berman and De Swart, K. von Fintel Replies to: Rooth, Bartels, Asher and Peregrin, M. Krifka Replies to: Bierwisch, Kamp & Robetadeutscher and Muskens, T.E. Zimmermann