The semantics and metasemantics of context-sensitive language
Final Report Abstract
Natural languages are context-sensitive: they contain expressions for which the content – what is literally said or what is referred to – depends on the context of utterance. For instance, what is said by a use of the sentence ‘I am hungry’ depends on the context because ‘I’ refers to whoever uses the expression. The aim of the network was to study this context-sensitivity by addressing the following questions: ● How widespread is semantic context-sensitivity? ● How should the semantics of context-sensitive expressions be construed? ● Which methods are suitable to determine whether or not an expression is context-sensitive? ● Which aspects of the context have an influence on the semantics of context-sensitive expressions? In tackling these questions, the network adopted an interdisciplinary approach by bringing together researchers in philosophy of language and in linguistics. And it combined research in the subdisciplines of semantics and metasemantics. The network was structured into six work packages, each of which included a topical workshop and led to several publications by network members and workshop guests: Work package 1 looked into how contexts should be modelled. Results included the insight that contexts should be seen as structured and in some cases not fully specific, leading to non-specific contents for context-sensitive expressions. Work package 2 studied the semantics and metasemantics of context-sensitivity and ambiguity. It helped to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of co-predication and to illuminate the role of speaker intentions in selecting the content of expressions that are ambiguous, context-sensitive or both. The objective of work package 3 was to investigate the treatment of pronouns as variables and to explore if this treatment can be extended to other context-sensitive expressions. The work package brought out several unexpected ways in which pronouns differ from gradable adjectives, demonstratives and indexicals. Work package 4 researched the semantics of attitude reports and focused specifically on the attitudes of belief and acceptance, shedding light on the under-explored attitude of acceptance and highlighting its role in theories of semantics and pragmatics. Work package 5 investigated the interrelations between logic and context-sensitivity. One key result was a thorough evaluation of the prospects of a context-sensitive view of logical constants as well as of the consequence relation. Work package 6 was concerned with predicates of personal taste, such as “is tasty”. Its results help to illuminate the acquaintance requirement, i.e. how speakers using predicates of personal taste express that they are acquainted with the item in question.
Publications
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Faultless Disagreement. Context Sensitivity, and the Semantics of Evaluation. Grazer Philosophische Studien 93, 396–418
Kompa, N.
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Contextualism, Relativism, and the Problem of Lost Disagreement. The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Contextualism, 282-291.
Brendel, Elke
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Ways of Using Words: On Semantic Intentions. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 100(1), 93-117.
Viebahn, Emanuel
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Expressive updates, much?. Language, 95(1), 107-135.
Gutzmann, Daniel & Henderson, Robert
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Knowledge embedded. Synthese, 198(5), 4035-4055.
Kindermann, Dirk
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Excluded entailments and the de se/de re partition. Inquiry, 65(7), 858-886.
Pearson, Hazel & Roeper, Tom
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Semantic Variability. Inquiry 65(7/8), 775–1141
Dinges, A.; Stei, E. & Zakkou, J.
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Absolute gradable adjectives and loose talk. Linguistics and Philosophy, 47(2), 341-360.
Dinges, Alexander
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Logical Pluralism and Logical Consequence.
Stei, Erik
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On proper presupposition. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 108(2), 338-359.
Zakkou, Julia
