|
Showing 1 - 4 of
4 matches in All Departments
First published in 1990, this dissertation presents an event-based
model-theoretic semantics for plural expressions in English. The
author defends against counterarguments the hypothesis that
distributive predicates are predicates of groups, and not just
individuals. By defining the collective/distributive distinction in
terms of event structure, he solves formal problems with previous
group-level analyses. The author notes that certain adverbials have
a systematic ambiguity between a reading indicating collective
action, and readings indicating spatial or temporal proximity; the
event-based definition of collective action makes possible a
parallel treatment of these readings. This book presents a formal
proposal on the algebraic structure of groups and events, and a
semantically based analysis of number agreement.
First published in 1990, this dissertation presents an event-based
model-theoretic semantics for plural expressions in English. The
author defends against counterarguments the hypothesis that
distributive predicates are predicates of groups, and not just
individuals. By defining the collective/distributive distinction in
terms of event structure, he solves formal problems with previous
group-level analyses. The author notes that certain adverbials have
a systematic ambiguity between a reading indicating collective
action, and readings indicating spatial or temporal proximity; the
event-based definition of collective action makes possible a
parallel treatment of these readings. This book presents a formal
proposal on the algebraic structure of groups and events, and a
semantically based analysis of number agreement.
This book explores linguistic and philosophical issues presented by
sentences expressing personal taste, such as Roller coasters are
fun, or Licorice is tasty. Standard semantic theories explain the
meanings of sentences by specifying the conditions under which they
are true; here, Peter Lasersohn asks how we can account for
sentences that are concerned with matters of opinion rather than
matters of fact. He argues that a truth-theoretic semantic theory
is appropriate even for sentences like these, but that for such
sentences, truth and falsity must be assigned relative to
perspectives, rather than absolutely. The book provides a detailed
and explicit formal grammar, working out the implications of this
conception of truth both for simple sentences and for reports of
mental attitude. The semantic analysis is paired with a pragmatic
theory explaining what it means to assert a sentence which is true
or false only relativistically, and with a speculative account of
the functional motivation for a relativized notion of truth.
This book explores linguistic and philosophical issues presented by
sentences expressing personal taste, such as Roller coasters are
fun, or Licorice is tasty. Standard semantic theories explain the
meanings of sentences by specifying the conditions under which they
are true; here, Peter Lasersohn asks how we can account for
sentences that are concerned with matters of opinion rather than
matters of fact. He argues that a truth-theoretic semantic theory
is appropriate even for sentences like these, but that for such
sentences, truth and falsity must be assigned relative to
perspectives, rather than absolutely. The book provides a detailed
and explicit formal grammar, working out the implications of this
conception of truth both for simple sentences and for reports of
mental attitude. The semantic analysis is paired with a pragmatic
theory explaining what it means to assert a sentence which is true
or false only relativistically, and with a speculative account of
the functional motivation for a relativized notion of truth.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|