Translated from the French, this book is an introduction to first-order model theory. Starting from scratch, it quickly reaches the essentials, namely, the back-and-forth method and compactness, which are illustrated with examples taken from algebra. It also introduces logic via the study of the models of arithmetic, and it gives complete but accessible exposition of stability theory.

Inhalt

1 Elementary Classes of Relations.- The Language Associated with a Relation.- 3 Extensions of the Language: Structures.- 4 Compactness.- 5 The Back-and-Forth Method in ?-Saturated Models.- 6 Examples Illustrating the Back-and-Forth Method.- 7 Arithmetic.- 8 Ordinals and Cardinals.- 9 Saturated Models.- 10 Prime Models.- 11 Heirs.- 12 Special Sons, Morley Sequences.- 13 The Fundamental Order.- 14 Stability and Saturated Models.- 15 Forking.- 16 Strong Types.- 17 Notions of Rank.- 18 Stability and Prime Models.- 19 Stability, Indiscernible Sequences and Weights.- 20 Dimension in Models of a Totally Transcendental Theory.- Index of Notation.