Two Theories about Adjectives
01 Jan 2013-pp 225-261
TL;DR: In this paper, two theories about adjectives are discussed: the first theory dates from the late 1960s and is stated in Montague (1970a) and Parsons (1968) according to which the meaning of an adjective is a function which maps the meanings of noun phrases onto other such meanings, and the second theory is that adjectives in such a way that sentences which are, or might well be, false are not branded by the semantics as logically true.
Abstract: This chapter discusses two theories about adjectives The first theory dates from the late 1960s It is stated in Montague (1970a) and Parsons (1968) According to this theory the meaning of an adjective is a function which maps the meanings of noun phrases onto other such meanings The main virtue of this doctrine is that it enables us to treat, whithin a precise semantic theory for a natural languae - as eg that of Montague - adjectives in such a way that certain sentences which are, or might well be, false are not branded by the semantics as logically true Vagueness is one of the various reasons why certain sentences may be without truth value Their analysis requires more mathematical structure than has been built into the models here considered The difference between the formal framework needed there and the one presented is essentially that between metric and arbitrary topological spaces Keywords:Adjectives; sentences; two theories; vagueness
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TL;DR: Most of this work has been directed toward cardinality quantifiers and topological quantifiers which are not particularly relevant to natural language, but even so, it has forced logicians to rethink the traditional theory of quantification as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In 1957, the Polish logician Andrej Mostowski pointed out that there are many mathematically interesting quantifiers that are not definable in terms of the first-order ∀, ∃ and initiated study of so-called generalized quantifiers (cf. Mostowski, 1957). Since then logicians have discovered and studied a large number of generalized quantifiers. At last count there were well over 200 research papers in this area. Most of this work has been directed toward cardinality quantifiers (e.g. Keisler, 1969) and topological quantifiers (e.g. Sgro, 1977) which are not particularly relevant to natural language, but even so, it has forced logicians to rethink the traditional theory of quantification.
1,780 citations
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01 Jan 1985
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Abstract: All rights reserved. Except for thc quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic. mechanical, photocopying. recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise. be lent. resold , hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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TL;DR: The authors developed a semantic typology of gradable predicates, with special emphasis/non deverbal adjectives, and argued for the linguistic relevance of this typology by demonstrating/n that the distribution and interpretation of degree modifiers is sensitive to its two major classificatory/nparameters: (1) whether a gradable predicate is associated with what we call an open or closed/nscale, and (2) whether the standard of comparison for the applicability of the predicate is absolute/nor relative to a context.
Abstract: In this article we develop a semantic typology of gradable predicates, with special emphasis/non deverbal adjectives. We argue for the linguistic relevance of this typology by demonstrating/nthat the distribution and interpretation of degree modifiers is sensitive to its two major classificatory/nparameters: (1) whether a gradable predicate is associated with what we call an open or closed/nscale,and (2) whether the standard of comparison for the applicability of the predicate is absolute/nor relative to a context. We further show that the classification of an important subclass of/nadjectives with in the typology is largely predictable.Specifically, the scale structure of adeverbal/ngradable adjective correlates either with the algebraic part structure of the event denoted by its/nsource verbor with the part structureof the entitiesto which the adjective applies.These correla-/ntions underscore the fact that gradability is characteristic not only of adjectives but also of verbs/nand nouns, and that scalar properties are shared by categorially distinct but derivationally related/nexpressions.
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TL;DR: The authors investigated the way that linguistic expressions influence vagueness, focusing on the interpretation of the positive (unmarked) form of gradable adjectives, and showed that the difference between relative and absolute adjectives in the positive form stems from the interaction of lexical semantic properties.
Abstract: This paper investigates the way that linguistic expressions influence vagueness, focusing on the interpretation of the positive (unmarked) form of gradable adjectives. I begin by developing a semantic analysis of the positive form of ‘relative’ gradable adjectives, expanding on previous proposals by further motivating a semantic basis for vagueness and by precisely identifying and characterizing the division of labor between the compositional and contextual aspects of its interpretation. I then introduce a challenge to the analysis from the class of ‘absolute’ gradable adjectives: adjectives that are demonstrably gradable, but which have positive forms that relate objects to maximal or minimal degrees, and do not give rise to vagueness. I argue that the truth conditional difference between relative and absolute adjectives in the positive form stems from the interaction of lexical semantic properties of gradable adjectives—the structure of the scales they use—and a general constraint on interpretive economy that requires truth conditions to be computed on the basis of conventional meaning to the extent possible, allowing for context dependent truth conditions only as a last resort.
767 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: The handbook of pragmatics as mentioned in this paper is a handbook for pragmatism, which is used in many of the works mentioned in this article. کتابخانه دیجیتال شاپور اهواز
Abstract: The handbook of pragmatics , The handbook of pragmatics , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز
758 citations