14 Formal methods in semantics
Abstract
Covering almost an entire century, this article reviews in general and non-technical terms how formal, logical methods have been applied to the meaning and interpretation of natural language. This paradigm of research in natural language semantics produced important new linguistic results and insights, but logic also profited from such innovative applications. Semantic explanation requires properly formalized concepts, but only provides genuine insight when it accounts for linguistic intuitions on meaning and interpretation or the results of empirical investigations in an insightful way. The creative tension between the linguistic demand for cognitively realistic models of human linguistic competence and the logicians demand for a proper and explicit account of all and only the valid reasoning patterns initially led to an interesting divergence of methods and associated research agendas. With the maturing of natural language semantics as a branch of cognitive science an increasing number of logicians trained in linguistics and linguists apt in using formal methods are developing more convergent empirical issues in interdisciplinary research programs.
Abstract
Covering almost an entire century, this article reviews in general and non-technical terms how formal, logical methods have been applied to the meaning and interpretation of natural language. This paradigm of research in natural language semantics produced important new linguistic results and insights, but logic also profited from such innovative applications. Semantic explanation requires properly formalized concepts, but only provides genuine insight when it accounts for linguistic intuitions on meaning and interpretation or the results of empirical investigations in an insightful way. The creative tension between the linguistic demand for cognitively realistic models of human linguistic competence and the logicians demand for a proper and explicit account of all and only the valid reasoning patterns initially led to an interesting divergence of methods and associated research agendas. With the maturing of natural language semantics as a branch of cognitive science an increasing number of logicians trained in linguistics and linguists apt in using formal methods are developing more convergent empirical issues in interdisciplinary research programs.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Meaning in linguistics 1
- 2 Meaning, intentionality and communication 14
- 3 (Frege on) Sense and reference 33
- 4 Reference: Foundational issues 62
- 5 Meaning in language use 94
- 6 Compositionality 122
- 7 Lexical decomposition: Foundational issues 156
- 8 Meaning in pre-19th century thought 182
- 9 The emergence of linguistic semantics in the 19th and early 20th century 217
- 10 The influence of logic on semantics 242
- 11 Formal semantics and representationalism 273
- 12 Varieties of semantic evidence 306
- 13 Methods in cross-linguistic semantics 340
- 14 Formal methods in semantics 362
- 15 The application of experimental methods in semantics 387
- Index 409
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 Meaning in linguistics 1
- 2 Meaning, intentionality and communication 14
- 3 (Frege on) Sense and reference 33
- 4 Reference: Foundational issues 62
- 5 Meaning in language use 94
- 6 Compositionality 122
- 7 Lexical decomposition: Foundational issues 156
- 8 Meaning in pre-19th century thought 182
- 9 The emergence of linguistic semantics in the 19th and early 20th century 217
- 10 The influence of logic on semantics 242
- 11 Formal semantics and representationalism 273
- 12 Varieties of semantic evidence 306
- 13 Methods in cross-linguistic semantics 340
- 14 Formal methods in semantics 362
- 15 The application of experimental methods in semantics 387
- Index 409
