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For the whole of the last half-century, most theoretical
syntacticians have assumed that knowledge of language is different
from the tasks of speaking and understanding. There have been some
dissenters, but, by and large, this view still holds sway. This book takes a different view: it continues the task set in
hand by Kempson et al (2001) of arguing that the common-sense
intuition is correct that knowledge of language consists in being
able to use it in speaking and understanding. The Dynamics of
Language argues that interpretation is built up across as sequence
of words relative to some context and that this is all that is
needed to explain the structural properties of language. The
dynamics of how interpretation is built up is the syntax of a
language system. The authors' first task is to convey to a general
linguistic audience with a minimum of formal apparatus, the
substance of that formal system. Secondly, as linguists, they set
themselves the task of applying the formal system to as broad an
array of linguistic puzzles as possible, the languages analysed
ranging from English to Japanese and Swahili. "This book makes an uncommon achievement in successfully using
detailed analyses of typologically diverse languages to address
foundational questions about what it means to know a language and
about the relation between speaking and understanding. This book
will be of interest to anybody who is serious about the cognitive
science of syntax and semantics." "For anyone interested in the basic nature of natural language
syntax, this book is a necessary, and enjoyable, read. The authors
provide a new take on howinterpretations are constructed by
language users, and back up their general theoretical proposals
with original analyses of an eclectic range of linguistic
phenomena. The exposition
The study of meaning in language has developed dramatically over the last fifty years. Semantics is distinctive as it not only presents a general introduction to the topic, including the most recent developments, but it also provides a unique perspective for addressing current issues. It opens by introducing readers to the study of logic (natural deduction) as the background against which developments have taken place. This demonstrates the link between semantics and the study of reasoning and how this view can provide new solutions to the puzzles that have plagued the approaches presented in other textbooks. The major subject areas of semantics are discussed, including quantification, anaphora and discourse, tense and aspect, ellipsis and context, and word meaning. The book also presents state-of-the-art research in topics at the forefront of semantics.
"Philosophy of Linguistics" investigates the foundational concepts and methods of linguistics, the scientific study of human language. This groundbreaking collection, the most thorough treatment of the philosophy of linguistics ever published, brings together philosophers, scientists and historians to map out both the foundational assumptions set during the second half of the last century and the unfolding shifts in perspective in which more functionalist perspectives are explored. The opening chapter lays out the philosophical background in preparation for the papers that follow, which demonstrate the shift in the perspective of linguistics study through discussions of syntax, semantics, phonology and cognitive science more generally. The volume serves as a detailed introduction for those new to the field as well as a rich source of new insights and potential research agendas for those already engaged with the philosophy of linguistics. Part of the Handbook of the Philosophy of Science series edited by: Dov M. Gabbay, King's College, London, UK; Paul Thagard,
University of Waterloo, Canada; and John Woods, University of
British Columbia, Canada.
AIMS AND ORGANISATION OF THE PRESENT REPORT This document is a report on the state of Cognitive Science research in the European Economic Community. Since Cognitive Science is a young discipline, we have taken part of our task to be an exposition of its goals, methods and progress, and of its significance for technology. Subsequent to this exposition we survey the intellectual resources devoted to Cognitive Science research within member nations of the EEC. Specific proposals for the advancement of the discipline in Europe are also formulated. In more detail, the six chapters comprising the report may be summarized as follows. -Chapter 1 (What is Cognitive Science?) is an overview of the major research themes that define contemporary Cognitive Science. The relation of these themes to current technological issues Is also briefly discussed. -Chapter 2 (Survey of cognitive competencies) treats four principal axes of Cognitive Science research In more detail. Our discussion Is at once theoretical and applied Inasmuch as we describe potential app lications of basic research to technological and societal issues. -Chapter 3 (Biological perspective on Cognitive Science) is a discussion of neuroscience approaches to Cognitive Science. This chapter is intended to under line the distinction between Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence. -Chapter 4 (Cognitive ergonomics) highlights the study of man-machine interaction. It may be usefully accompanied by FAST series N" 9: "Mismatch between machine representations and human concepts."
The study of meaning in language has developed dramatically over the last fifty years. Semantics is distinctive as it not only presents a general introduction to the topic, including the most recent developments, but it also provides a unique perspective for addressing current issues. It opens by introducing readers to the study of logic (natural deduction) as the background against which developments have taken place. This demonstrates the link between semantics and the study of reasoning and how this view can provide new solutions to the puzzles that have plagued the approaches presented in other textbooks. The major subject areas of semantics are discussed, including quantification, anaphora and discourse, tense and aspect, ellipsis and context, and word meaning. The book also presents state-of-the-art research in topics at the forefront of semantics.
Dynamic Syntax is a formal model of utterance description that attempts to articulate and substantiate the claim that human linguistic knowledge is essentially the ability to process language in context. The model provides an explicit demonstration of how interpretation is built up incrementally from the information provided by the words as they are encountered. Drawing from a range of analyses of natural language data, the authors use formal definitions, step-by-step derivations, and detailed lexical definitions to illustrate this new form of syntactic analysis and to show how the model can be applied to a broad range of constructions and languages.
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