ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why a semantic theory of quotation should and could embrace a theoretical orientation toward the semantics/pragmatics (S/P) distinction. The landscape of the S/P boundary dispute is marked by fierce debate between minimalism and contextualism on one hand, and the distinction view and the interface view of the S/P relationship on the other. The chapter introduces some important issues regarding what a semantic theory is and how it should be formulated, with an emphasis on why what is "semantic" has become controversial under the S/P boundary dispute. It presents an overview of the debate and examines how it has been projected onto the analysis of quotation. Semantic theory, or semantics, is broadly construed as the study of meaning in language. With respect to the elusive nature of semantics and its complicated relationship with other approaches to meaning, semantics can be specified as a study of the semantic content of language.
