The Ontology of Language

by Fox, Chris

• ISBN13: 9781575862347
• ISBN10: 1575862344
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Stanford Univ Center for the Study

Summary

How can the meaning of language be represented by formal logic? Similar research regarding the semantics of natural language has suggested that standard, 'classical' logical systems must be extended to account for the meaning of pronouns and other nominal expressions. But Chris Fox argues that by reconsidering how natural language in a formal logic is represented, the extension of classical logical systems is not required. The Ontology of Language explores how semantic issues can be addressed in a way that minimizes the ontological commitments of the resulting semantics. The book works within a version of Property Theory stemming from a combination of the lambda calculus with Aczel's Frege structures-a combination originally developed by Raymond Turner. Fox then improves on this version and substantially extends it with original applications to plurals and mass nouns, to 'intensional individuals', and to the dynamics of discourse. Some useful appendixes on further extensions and alternatives are included.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(10)
Individuals, Properties and Guises	2	(4)
The Methodology of Least Commitment	6	(2)
Plurals and Mass Terms	8	(2)
Discourse Representation	10	(1)
Summary	10	(1)
Property Theory	11	(26)
Motivation	11	(6)
PT: An Axiomatic Property Theory	17	(5)
Definitions of Types	22	(2)
The Paradoxes as a Category Mistake	24	(1)
Internal Definability	25	(1)
Model	26	(2)
Syntax-Semantics Interface	28	(2)
PTQ-like Interpretation	30	(3)
Other Approaches	33	(4)
Plurals and Mass Terms	37	(70)
Plurals	37	(39)
Mass Terms	76	(23)
A Unification	99	(2)
A Model of PT with Boolean Terms	101	(3)
Conclusions	104	(3)
Roles and Guises	107	(18)
Intensional Individuals	107	(2)
Landman's Formal Theory	109	(2)
Roles in PT	111	(3)
Property Modifers	114	(4)
Appropriate Guises	118	(1)
Semantics with Property Modifiers	119	(1)
The Behaviour of Property Modifiers	120	(2)
Conclusions	122	(3)
Discourse Representations	125	(38)
Discourse in Classical Logic	126	(5)
Discourse in Property Theory	131	(6)
A Sketch of the Basic Theory	137	(13)
PTdt: PT with Discourse Terms	150	(4)
Relative Clauses	154	(1)
Summary	155	(2)
Consistency of PTdt	157	(5)
Conclusions	162	(1)
Conclusions	163	(6)
Properties	163	(1)
Individuals	164	(1)
Discourse	165	(1)
The Methodology of Least Commitment	166	(3)
A Dynamic Property Theory	169	(4)
B Dependent Types and Discourse	173	(4)
C Semantics of NL in PTdt	177	(6)
C.1 Examples	179	(4)
D Negation and Disjunction in Discourse	183	(8)
D.1 Negation of Classical Propositions	183	(1)
D.2 Negation of Types	184	(1)
D.3 Double Negation and Disjunction	185	(1)
D.4 Proper Nouns and Negation	186	(2)
D.5 Axioms for negation in PTdt	188	(3)
References	191	(10)
Author Index	201	(3)
Formal Index	204	(3)
General Index	207