<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type> This concise compendium explains semantics at all systemic levels, from morphemes to discourses, based on a common principle – linguistic signs point to other linguistic signs – and based on this principle, derives a complex system of rules for interpreting linguistic and verbal utterances. Its broad aim is to present an empirically valid description of the semantic grammar of the New High German written language (1750–1950).