Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics PDF Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521207331
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
In this book, first published in 1975, Dr Kempson argues that previous work on presupposition - whether in philosophy or linguistics - has been mistakenly based on a conflation of two different disciplines: semantics, the study of the meanings assigned to the formal system which constitutes a language, and pragmatics, the study of the use of that system in communication. The first part of the book deals generally with the nature of semantics in linguistic theory and its formal representation within a transformational grammar; Dr Kempson argues against incorporating the relation of presupposition within such a grammar. The second part provides a pragmatic account of the foundations of a theory of communication and its detailed application to the problems raised by presupposition. The book is intended for those studying both philosophy and linguistics and also for those sociolinguists and psychologists with a more general interest in the theory of communication.

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics PDF Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521207331
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this book, first published in 1975, Dr Kempson argues that previous work on presupposition - whether in philosophy or linguistics - has been mistakenly based on a conflation of two different disciplines: semantics, the study of the meanings assigned to the formal system which constitutes a language, and pragmatics, the study of the use of that system in communication. The first part of the book deals generally with the nature of semantics in linguistic theory and its formal representation within a transformational grammar; Dr Kempson argues against incorporating the relation of presupposition within such a grammar. The second part provides a pragmatic account of the foundations of a theory of communication and its detailed application to the problems raised by presupposition. The book is intended for those studying both philosophy and linguistics and also for those sociolinguists and psychologists with a more general interest in the theory of communication.

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics

Presupposition and the Delimitation of Semantics PDF Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Semantics (Philosophy)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The thesis is divided into three sections. In the first, I present the general theoretical framework within which the arguments of the thesis are considered. This framework contains an interpretive semantic component (in the sense of Katz 1966a, 1972, Bierwisch 1969, 1971) and the formalism assumed is that of Bierwisch. I argue however that this formalism in effect constitutes a statement of the necessary and sufficient truth conditions on the sentences of a language and that this is the correct basis for natural-language semantics. This hypothesis appears to be threatened by the concept of presupposition. In the second section, I therefore discuss two separate concepts of presupposition and consider the issues both raise for natural-language semantics. In brief, I argue (chapter 4) that to incorporate a concept of presupposition defined in terms of speakers' belief has consequences which necessitate its exclusion by fiat from a formal linguistic theory. Furthermore I argue (chapters 4-5) that a logically defined concept of presupposition refers to an empty set of sentences, since every postulated presupposition is in fact an example of an entailment relation. So I conclude that neither definition of presupposition should be part of natural-language semantics. Accordingly the semantic framework set up in the first part remains at present unfalsified. However in addition to such a semantics, in the final section I set up a theory of pragmatics (along lines suggested by Grice, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969) to explain those aspects of sentences which are not captured by a truth-conditional (but non-presuppositional) semantics. In over-all terms, my aim is two-fold: (i) to justify in some detail the formal properties of an interpretive semantic component (based on a non-presuppositional logic); and (ii) to suggest a tentative specification of a pragmatic theory as part of some more general theory of performance.

Presupposition and the Delimitations of Semantics

Presupposition and the Delimitations of Semantics PDF Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description


Semantic Theory

Semantic Theory PDF Author: Ruth M. Kempson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521292092
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
An introduction to the central topics of linguistic semantics and the philosophy of language, assuming no special knowledge of philosophy or logic.

Presuppositions and Discourse

Presuppositions and Discourse PDF Author: Rainer Bäuerle
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 1849507821
Category : Context (Linguistics)
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Undoubtedly, presupposition theory is a major chapter in the success story of dynamic semantics. This book features papers on this topic based on a conference on "Presupposition" convened in Stuttgart in October 2000.

The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory

The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory PDF Author: Shalom Lappin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119046823
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 771

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Book Description
The second edition of The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory presents a comprehensive introduction to cutting-edge research in contemporary theoretical and computational semantics. Features completely new content from the first edition of The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory Features contributions by leading semanticists, who introduce core areas of contemporary semantic research, while discussing current research Suitable for graduate students for courses in semantic theory and for advanced researchers as an introduction to current theoretical work

Context and Presupposition

Context and Presupposition PDF Author: Rob A. van der Sandt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
This book, which has been written for linguists and philosophers working in the field of semantics, deals with presupposition and its dependence on context.

Modern Logic — A Survey

Modern Logic — A Survey PDF Author: E. Agazzi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400990561
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
Logic has attained in our century a development incomparably greater than in any past age of its long history, and this has led to such an enrichment and proliferation of its aspects, that the problem of some kind of unified recom prehension of this discipline seems nowadays unavoidable. This splitting into several subdomains is the natural consequence of the fact that Logic has intended to adopt in our century the status of a science. This always implies that the general optics, under which a certain set of problems used to be con sidered, breaks into a lot of specialized sectors of inquiry, each of them being characterized by the introduction of specific viewpoints and of technical tools of its own. The first impression, that often accompanies the creation of one of such specialized branches in a diSCipline, is that one has succeeded in isolating the 'scientific core' of it, by restricting the somehow vague and redundant generality of its original 'philosophical' configuration. But, after a while, it appears that some of the discarded aspects are indeed important and a new specialized domain of investigation is created to explore them. By follOwing this procedure, one finally finds himself confronted with such a variety of independent fields of research, that one wonders whether the fact of labelling them under a common denomination be nothing but the contingent effect of a pure historical tradition.

Perspectives on Pragmatics and Philosophy

Perspectives on Pragmatics and Philosophy PDF Author: Alessandro Capone
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319010115
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description
This book is about the pragmatics of language and it illustrates how pragmatics transcends the boundaries of linguistics. This volume covers Gricean pragmatics as well as topics including: conversation and collective belief, the norm of assertion, speech acts, what a context is, the distinction between semantics and pragmatics and implicature and explicature, pragmatics and epistemology, the pragmatics of belief, quotation, negation, implicature and argumentation theory, Habermas’ Universal Pragmatics, Dascal’s theory of the dialectical self, theories and theoretical discussions on the nature of pragmatics from a philosophical point of view. Conversational implicatures are generally meaning augmentations on top of explicatures, whilst explicatures figure prominently in what is said. Discussions in this work reveal their characteristics and tensions within current theories relating to explicatures and implicatures. Authors show that explicatures and implicatures are calculable and not (directly) tied to conventional meaning. Pragmatics has a role to play in dealing with philosophical problems and this volume presents research that defines boundaries and gives a stable picture of pragmatics and philosophy. World renowned academic experts in philosophy and pragmalinguistics ask important theoretical questions and interact in a way that can be easily grasped by those from disciplines other than philosophy, such as anthropology, literary theory and law. A second volume in this series is also available, which covers the perspective of linguists who have been influenced by philosophy.

Semantics

Semantics PDF Author: Frank Robert Palmer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521283762
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
When the first edition of Semantics appeared in 1976, the developments in this aspect of language study were exciting interest not only among linguists, but among philosophers, psychologists and logicians. Professor Palmer's straightforward and comprehensive book was immediately welcomed as one of the best introductions to the subject. Interest in Semantics has been further stimulated recently by a number of significant, and often contriversial, theoretical advances; and the publication of this second edition has enabled Professor Palmer to bring his survey thoroughly up to date. There is also an important new chapter on 'Semantics and logic', showing clearly and simply the influence that logical models have had on the study of meaning. Professor Palmer always illustrates his argument with helpful examples, and his non-technical explanations will be readily intelligible to the interested layman as well as to beginning students of language and linguistics.