Abstract
A new formalism for predicate logic is introduced, with a non-standard method of binding variables, which allows a compositional formalization of certain anaphoric constructions, including ‘donkey sentences’ and cross-sentential anaphora. A proof system in natural deduction format is provided, and the formalism is compared with other accounts of this type of anaphora, in particular Dynamic Predicate Logic.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
van Benthem, J., 1991, “Logic and the flow of information”, to appear in D. Prawitzet al., Proceedings of the 9th International Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, North-Holland, Amsterdam. [Preprint as CSLI Report No. 91-160, Stanford University.]
Groenendijk, J. and Stokhof, M., 1991, “Dynamic predicate logic”,Linguistics and Philosophy 14, 39–100.
Heim, I., 1982,The Semantics of Definite and Indefinite Noun Phrases, Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. of Massachusetts.
Hopcroft, J. and Ullman, J., 1979,Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation, Addison Wesley, Reading.
Kamp, H., 1981, “A theory of truth and semantic representation”, in J. Groenendijket al. (eds.),Formal Methods in the Study of Language, Math. Centre, Amsterdam, 277–322. [Reprinted in J. Groenendijket al. (eds.), 1984,Truth, Interpretation and Information, Foris, Dordrecht, 1–41.]
Lewis, D., 1975, “Adverbs of quantification”, in E. Keenan (ed.),Formal Semantics of Natural Language, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 3–15.
Marsh, W., and Partee, B., 1984, “How non-context free is variable binding?”, in M. Cobleret al. (eds.),Proceedings of the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, Vol. 3, 179–190.
Montague, R., 1974,Formal Philosophy, ed. R. M. Thomason, Yale University Press, New Haven.
Prawitz, D., 1965,Natural Deduction, Almqvist & Wiksell, Stockholm.
Sowa, J., 1984,Conceptual Structures. Information Processing in Man and Machine, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Mass.
Zeevat, H., 1989, “A compositional approach to discourse representation theory”,Linguistics and Philosophy 12, 95–131.
Zeman, J., 1967, “A system of implicit quantification”,The Journal of Symbolic Logic 32, 480–504.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Both authors have been supported by grants from the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pagin, P., Westerståhl, D. Predicate logic with flexibly binding operators and natural language semantics. J Logic Lang Inf 2, 89–128 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01050634
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01050634