Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that ...
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The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are indeed true. Many philosophers have taken the Law to be central to many of our most important philosophical concepts. This book mounts the case against this view. Starting with an analysis of Aristotle on the Law, it discusses the nature of truth, rationality, negation, and logic itself, and argues that the Law is inessential to all of these things. The book develops Priest’s earlier ideas in In Contradiction.Less
The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are indeed true. Many philosophers have taken the Law to be central to many of our most important philosophical concepts. This book mounts the case against this view. Starting with an analysis of Aristotle on the Law, it discusses the nature of truth, rationality, negation, and logic itself, and argues that the Law is inessential to all of these things. The book develops Priest’s earlier ideas in In Contradiction.
Regine Eckardt
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199262601
- eISBN:
- 9780191718939
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199262601.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of ...
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This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of grammaticalization, particularly those that focus on the meaning side, four major case studies of meaning change in grammaticalization probe the hypothesis that this type of change is best viewed as a restructuring at the syntax-semantics interface. The case studies cover the emergence of going to future in English, the negation particles in French, the emergence of the scalar particle selbst (even) in German as well as the quasi determiner lauter (many/only) in German. Each study starts with a presentation of data that illustrates the change in question, and lists open issues about these data that could not be answered (or even formulated) in earlier theoretical frameworks. A careful investigation of the neat interplay of syntax and semantics in the phase of change demonstrates that speakers ingenuously exploit the structures of language in order to adjust it to new needs, while at the same time keeping it a well-defined tool of communication.Less
This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of grammaticalization, particularly those that focus on the meaning side, four major case studies of meaning change in grammaticalization probe the hypothesis that this type of change is best viewed as a restructuring at the syntax-semantics interface. The case studies cover the emergence of going to future in English, the negation particles in French, the emergence of the scalar particle selbst (even) in German as well as the quasi determiner lauter (many/only) in German. Each study starts with a presentation of data that illustrates the change in question, and lists open issues about these data that could not be answered (or even formulated) in earlier theoretical frameworks. A careful investigation of the neat interplay of syntax and semantics in the phase of change demonstrates that speakers ingenuously exploit the structures of language in order to adjust it to new needs, while at the same time keeping it a well-defined tool of communication.
Doris Penka
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567263
- eISBN:
- 9780191723261
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567263.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This exploration of the syntax-semantics interface is concerned with negative indefinites like English ‘nobody’, ‘nothing’, etc. and their counterparts in other languages. A cross-linguistically ...
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This exploration of the syntax-semantics interface is concerned with negative indefinites like English ‘nobody’, ‘nothing’, etc. and their counterparts in other languages. A cross-linguistically unified analysis is proposed and applied to several languages. While negative indefinites are standardly assumed to be semantically negative quantifiers, this work argues for a different analysis. It is motivated by three phenomena, which negative indefinites give rise to in different languages and which are unexpected under the negative quantifier analysis. The first, negative concord, has been widely discussed in both semantic and syntactic literature. The fact that in many languages negative indefinites can co-occur with other seemingly negative elements without contributing a negation to the semantics motivates the assumption that these expressions are not inherently negative. Following recent work on negative concord, an analysis is elaborated that is based on the assumption that negative indefinites are semantically non-negative and must be licensed by a — possibly covert — negation. This analysis explains the behaviour of negative indefinites in a number of languages. In a next step, this analysis is extended to languages that do not exhibit negative concord. Motivation for this comes from the fact that even in non-negative concord languages, the negative quantifier analysis cannot account for the semantics of negative indefinites. Crucial evidence comes from the existence of split readings, in which another operator takes scope in between the negative and the indefinite meaning component. Moreover, in many languages the distribution of negative indefinites is subject to syntactic restrictions. It is shown how this follows from the proposed analysis and independently motivated syntactic properties.Less
This exploration of the syntax-semantics interface is concerned with negative indefinites like English ‘nobody’, ‘nothing’, etc. and their counterparts in other languages. A cross-linguistically unified analysis is proposed and applied to several languages. While negative indefinites are standardly assumed to be semantically negative quantifiers, this work argues for a different analysis. It is motivated by three phenomena, which negative indefinites give rise to in different languages and which are unexpected under the negative quantifier analysis. The first, negative concord, has been widely discussed in both semantic and syntactic literature. The fact that in many languages negative indefinites can co-occur with other seemingly negative elements without contributing a negation to the semantics motivates the assumption that these expressions are not inherently negative. Following recent work on negative concord, an analysis is elaborated that is based on the assumption that negative indefinites are semantically non-negative and must be licensed by a — possibly covert — negation. This analysis explains the behaviour of negative indefinites in a number of languages. In a next step, this analysis is extended to languages that do not exhibit negative concord. Motivation for this comes from the fact that even in non-negative concord languages, the negative quantifier analysis cannot account for the semantics of negative indefinites. Crucial evidence comes from the existence of split readings, in which another operator takes scope in between the negative and the indefinite meaning component. Moreover, in many languages the distribution of negative indefinites is subject to syntactic restrictions. It is shown how this follows from the proposed analysis and independently motivated syntactic properties.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter argues that in the context of an account of meaning appropriate for dialetheism, Boolean (classical) negation is a meaningless notion.
This chapter argues that in the context of an account of meaning appropriate for dialetheism, Boolean (classical) negation is a meaningless notion.
C. W. A. Whitaker
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199254194
- eISBN:
- 9780191598654
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199254192.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter, which concludes the introductory section of the work, narrows the focus to simple assertions. Aristotle demonstrates with brilliant neatness that all such assertions either affirm or ...
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This chapter, which concludes the introductory section of the work, narrows the focus to simple assertions. Aristotle demonstrates with brilliant neatness that all such assertions either affirm or deny, and that moreover they may be ordered into pairs, one representing a pair of simple elements as combined, the other as separated. His approach reflects his ’internal’ theory of negation: very different from the Stoic ’external’ view more familiar to later logicians. His definition of negation does not presuppose anything about the truth or falsehood of the two members of a contradictory pair.Less
This chapter, which concludes the introductory section of the work, narrows the focus to simple assertions. Aristotle demonstrates with brilliant neatness that all such assertions either affirm or deny, and that moreover they may be ordered into pairs, one representing a pair of simple elements as combined, the other as separated. His approach reflects his ’internal’ theory of negation: very different from the Stoic ’external’ view more familiar to later logicians. His definition of negation does not presuppose anything about the truth or falsehood of the two members of a contradictory pair.
Dov-Ber Kerler
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198151661
- eISBN:
- 9780191672798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198151661.003.0021
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
Though not greatest in terms of number, the changes in syntax were believed to be the most valuable. Alterations in the order of word patterns are the most distinguished pattern of advanced and ...
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Though not greatest in terms of number, the changes in syntax were believed to be the most valuable. Alterations in the order of word patterns are the most distinguished pattern of advanced and modern European Yiddish literature. This chapter discusses these changes in a very detailed fashion. Negation, for the most part, was minimally affected and was maintained in its classical form. The placement of the past principle, on the other hand, is variable all throughout the writings. These changes, particularly those in the late eighteenth century, were influenced by the patterns of the Eastern Yiddish language. It was but a vital component in the modernization of the writings. The evolution of syntax proved to be a way to further expand the Easterization of literature.Less
Though not greatest in terms of number, the changes in syntax were believed to be the most valuable. Alterations in the order of word patterns are the most distinguished pattern of advanced and modern European Yiddish literature. This chapter discusses these changes in a very detailed fashion. Negation, for the most part, was minimally affected and was maintained in its classical form. The placement of the past principle, on the other hand, is variable all throughout the writings. These changes, particularly those in the late eighteenth century, were influenced by the patterns of the Eastern Yiddish language. It was but a vital component in the modernization of the writings. The evolution of syntax proved to be a way to further expand the Easterization of literature.
L. Jonathan Cohen
- Published in print:
- 1977
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198244127
- eISBN:
- 9780191680748
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198244127.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Philosophy of Science
The book was planned and written as a single, sustained argument. But earlier versions of a few parts of it have appeared separately. The object of this book is both to establish the existence of the ...
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The book was planned and written as a single, sustained argument. But earlier versions of a few parts of it have appeared separately. The object of this book is both to establish the existence of the paradoxes, and also to describe a non-Pascalian concept of probability in terms of which one can analyse the structure of forensic proof without giving rise to such typical signs of theoretical misfit. Neither the complementational principle for negation nor the multiplicative principle for conjunction applies to the central core of any forensic proof in the Anglo-American legal system. There are four parts included in this book. Accordingly, these parts have been written in such a way that they may be read in different orders by different kinds of reader.Less
The book was planned and written as a single, sustained argument. But earlier versions of a few parts of it have appeared separately. The object of this book is both to establish the existence of the paradoxes, and also to describe a non-Pascalian concept of probability in terms of which one can analyse the structure of forensic proof without giving rise to such typical signs of theoretical misfit. Neither the complementational principle for negation nor the multiplicative principle for conjunction applies to the central core of any forensic proof in the Anglo-American legal system. There are four parts included in this book. Accordingly, these parts have been written in such a way that they may be read in different orders by different kinds of reader.
Hartry Field
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230747
- eISBN:
- 9780191710933
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230747.003.0022
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
The chapter considers various versions of the charge that paradox has been avoided only by limiting the expressive power of the language. The charge that the language has no ‘exclusion negation’ but ...
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The chapter considers various versions of the charge that paradox has been avoided only by limiting the expressive power of the language. The charge that the language has no ‘exclusion negation’ but only ‘choice negation’ is rejected as incorrect. It is true that the language contains no negation or conditional that obeys all the classical or intuitionist laws, but it is argued that no language can coherently contain such operators. Two ingenious arguments by Wright and Restall, according to which we ought to be able to define intuitionist operators from fairly uncontroversial resources, are considered at length and rejected. In the case of the Restall argument, this involves some considerations about how to understand infinite conjunctions and disjunctions.Less
The chapter considers various versions of the charge that paradox has been avoided only by limiting the expressive power of the language. The charge that the language has no ‘exclusion negation’ but only ‘choice negation’ is rejected as incorrect. It is true that the language contains no negation or conditional that obeys all the classical or intuitionist laws, but it is argued that no language can coherently contain such operators. Two ingenious arguments by Wright and Restall, according to which we ought to be able to define intuitionist operators from fairly uncontroversial resources, are considered at length and rejected. In the case of the Restall argument, this involves some considerations about how to understand infinite conjunctions and disjunctions.
Edeltraud Roller
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286423
- eISBN:
- 9780191603358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286426.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter examines the hypotheses about the impact of formal and informal institutions on the level, stability, and the structure of political effectiveness of western democracies. It presents a ...
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This chapter examines the hypotheses about the impact of formal and informal institutions on the level, stability, and the structure of political effectiveness of western democracies. It presents a re-analysis of Arend Lijphart's Pattern of Democracy (1999) and investigates the validity of various veto player indices. It is shown that political institutions do matter, but formal and informal institutions cause different effects; both matter only sometimes and only to a limited degree.Less
This chapter examines the hypotheses about the impact of formal and informal institutions on the level, stability, and the structure of political effectiveness of western democracies. It presents a re-analysis of Arend Lijphart's Pattern of Democracy (1999) and investigates the validity of various veto player indices. It is shown that political institutions do matter, but formal and informal institutions cause different effects; both matter only sometimes and only to a limited degree.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of ...
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This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of dialetheism.Less
This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of dialetheism.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter discusses the connection between negation, denial, and untruth. There are close connections between these notions, but not the simplistic ones that are standardly supposed to obtain.
This chapter discusses the connection between negation, denial, and untruth. There are close connections between these notions, but not the simplistic ones that are standardly supposed to obtain.
Henny Fiskå Hägg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288083
- eISBN:
- 9780191604164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288089.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter provides an overview of the book. It begins by describing apophatic theology (approaching the divine through negation) in relation to kataphatic theology (based on affirmation) or ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the book. It begins by describing apophatic theology (approaching the divine through negation) in relation to kataphatic theology (based on affirmation) or mystical theology (based on an inner relationship to God). Works that have influenced the approach of this book are surveyed and the remaining chapters outlined.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the book. It begins by describing apophatic theology (approaching the divine through negation) in relation to kataphatic theology (based on affirmation) or mystical theology (based on an inner relationship to God). Works that have influenced the approach of this book are surveyed and the remaining chapters outlined.
Doris Penka
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567263
- eISBN:
- 9780191723261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567263.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter is concerned with the phenomenon of negative concord, where multiple instances of morph-syntactically negative elements contribute a single negation to the semantics. It discusses ...
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This chapter is concerned with the phenomenon of negative concord, where multiple instances of morph-syntactically negative elements contribute a single negation to the semantics. It discusses different approaches which treat negative indefinites in languages exhibiting negative concord as either negative polarity items, negative quantifiers, or as ambiguous between both. It shows that none of these can fully account for the behaviour of negative indefinites. The approach of Zeijlstra (2004), which analyses negative concord as form of syntactic agreement and assumes that negative indefinites are semantically non-negative indefinites that have to be licensed by negation, is shown to be able to account for a wide range of data. This approach is elaborated and revised to accommodate the behaviour of negative indefinites in a wider range of negative concord languages.Less
This chapter is concerned with the phenomenon of negative concord, where multiple instances of morph-syntactically negative elements contribute a single negation to the semantics. It discusses different approaches which treat negative indefinites in languages exhibiting negative concord as either negative polarity items, negative quantifiers, or as ambiguous between both. It shows that none of these can fully account for the behaviour of negative indefinites. The approach of Zeijlstra (2004), which analyses negative concord as form of syntactic agreement and assumes that negative indefinites are semantically non-negative indefinites that have to be licensed by negation, is shown to be able to account for a wide range of data. This approach is elaborated and revised to accommodate the behaviour of negative indefinites in a wider range of negative concord languages.
Stewart Shapiro
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280391
- eISBN:
- 9780191707162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280391.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter defines various connectives and quantifiers, and settles on a local notion of validity. The ultimate goal is to delimit a plausible notion of logical consequence and to explore what ...
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This chapter defines various connectives and quantifiers, and settles on a local notion of validity. The ultimate goal is to delimit a plausible notion of logical consequence and to explore what happens with the sorites paradox. It might be noted that the notion of ‘context’ does not appear, as such, in the formal development. Several features of the deployment of vague terms can go under that name, and there is no need to call one of them the context of utterance. This might attenuate any misunderstandings of the philosophical term ‘contextualist’.Less
This chapter defines various connectives and quantifiers, and settles on a local notion of validity. The ultimate goal is to delimit a plausible notion of logical consequence and to explore what happens with the sorites paradox. It might be noted that the notion of ‘context’ does not appear, as such, in the formal development. Several features of the deployment of vague terms can go under that name, and there is no need to call one of them the context of utterance. This might attenuate any misunderstandings of the philosophical term ‘contextualist’.
Denis McManus
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199288021
- eISBN:
- 9780191713446
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199288021.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter explores Wittgenstein’s remarks on ‘the general form of the proposition’ and argues that these too are informed by his desire to show that the impression that there are substantial ...
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This chapter explores Wittgenstein’s remarks on ‘the general form of the proposition’ and argues that these too are informed by his desire to show that the impression that there are substantial ‘logical truths’ is an illusion. It explores Wittgenstein’s understanding of logical inference as ‘unpacking’, his analysis of truth-functional connectives using truth-tables, his account of logical propositions as tautologies and contradictions, and the philosophical significance for Wittgenstein of providing a ‘topic-neutral’ account of logical inference and the logical connectives. Drawing on retrospective remarks of Wittgenstein’s, an explanation is offered on how he could have failed to recognize that his notion of the general form of the proposition is laden with problematic metaphysical commitments.Less
This chapter explores Wittgenstein’s remarks on ‘the general form of the proposition’ and argues that these too are informed by his desire to show that the impression that there are substantial ‘logical truths’ is an illusion. It explores Wittgenstein’s understanding of logical inference as ‘unpacking’, his analysis of truth-functional connectives using truth-tables, his account of logical propositions as tautologies and contradictions, and the philosophical significance for Wittgenstein of providing a ‘topic-neutral’ account of logical inference and the logical connectives. Drawing on retrospective remarks of Wittgenstein’s, an explanation is offered on how he could have failed to recognize that his notion of the general form of the proposition is laden with problematic metaphysical commitments.
Irina Nikolaeva
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265253
- eISBN:
- 9780191760419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265253.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
A detailed picture of periphrasis in Nenets (Uralic) presents a typologically rare instance of periphrasis in a nominal paradigm (as opposed to more familiar verbal periphrasis). Previous accounts ...
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A detailed picture of periphrasis in Nenets (Uralic) presents a typologically rare instance of periphrasis in a nominal paradigm (as opposed to more familiar verbal periphrasis). Previous accounts treated Nenets nouns as an uncontroversial example of periphrasis, but this chapter demonstrates that a closer look reveals a more complicated picture. It argues that the choice between the usage of the periphrastic dual form and the numeral ‘two’ (which takes the singular) correlates with definiteness and/or discourse givenness. In addition, analysis of this rare instance of periphrasis in a noun system reveals interesting aspects of the way the number system works in the language. The chapter also investigates the periphrastic realization of verbal negation, where the auxiliary carries the information of the verb type. For intransitive verbs, the type is either ‘subjective’ or ‘reflexive’ and there are, surprisingly, arguments in favour of treating these as purely morphological classes.Less
A detailed picture of periphrasis in Nenets (Uralic) presents a typologically rare instance of periphrasis in a nominal paradigm (as opposed to more familiar verbal periphrasis). Previous accounts treated Nenets nouns as an uncontroversial example of periphrasis, but this chapter demonstrates that a closer look reveals a more complicated picture. It argues that the choice between the usage of the periphrastic dual form and the numeral ‘two’ (which takes the singular) correlates with definiteness and/or discourse givenness. In addition, analysis of this rare instance of periphrasis in a noun system reveals interesting aspects of the way the number system works in the language. The chapter also investigates the periphrastic realization of verbal negation, where the auxiliary carries the information of the verb type. For intransitive verbs, the type is either ‘subjective’ or ‘reflexive’ and there are, surprisingly, arguments in favour of treating these as purely morphological classes.
Andrew Spencer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265253
- eISBN:
- 9780191760419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265253.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
In order to establish a typological picture of periphrastic negation, this chapter begins from the criteria for periphrasis established by Ackerman and Stump. These are feature intersection, ...
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In order to establish a typological picture of periphrastic negation, this chapter begins from the criteria for periphrasis established by Ackerman and Stump. These are feature intersection, non-compositionality, and distributed exponence. It is argued that while the first two work well for defining periphrasis, the third criterion is not sufficiently robust, and should therefore be substituted by the criterion of multiple exponence. Multiple exponence is a recurrent feature of morphology and therefore, when found in a syntactic construction, it signals its morphology-like status. The chapter analyses the applicability of the criteria by testing them on data from genetically and typologically diverse languages (such as Japanese, and languages within Oto-Manguean, Nilotic, Tungusic, Uralic, Nakh-Daghestanian, and Semitic languages). It shows the extent to which the existing criteria can be applied to languages of different types, and justifies the new criterion (multiple exponence) for identifying periphrasis.Less
In order to establish a typological picture of periphrastic negation, this chapter begins from the criteria for periphrasis established by Ackerman and Stump. These are feature intersection, non-compositionality, and distributed exponence. It is argued that while the first two work well for defining periphrasis, the third criterion is not sufficiently robust, and should therefore be substituted by the criterion of multiple exponence. Multiple exponence is a recurrent feature of morphology and therefore, when found in a syntactic construction, it signals its morphology-like status. The chapter analyses the applicability of the criteria by testing them on data from genetically and typologically diverse languages (such as Japanese, and languages within Oto-Manguean, Nilotic, Tungusic, Uralic, Nakh-Daghestanian, and Semitic languages). It shows the extent to which the existing criteria can be applied to languages of different types, and justifies the new criterion (multiple exponence) for identifying periphrasis.
Mark Richard
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199570386
- eISBN:
- 9780191722134
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199570386.003.0027
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter argues for the following theses. There are perfectly possible meanings (ones of a sort one would think are possessed by many vague predicates) which would necessitate a predicate's being ...
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This chapter argues for the following theses. There are perfectly possible meanings (ones of a sort one would think are possessed by many vague predicates) which would necessitate a predicate's being gappy. Many arguments against the coherence of truth value gaps depend on a very narrow picture of saying, which ignores the possibility of such things as sui generis denial. Frege/Geach objections to things like sui generis denial dissolve once we observe that ‘not’ and other sentence compounding devices lead a double life, sometimes contributing to sense, sometimes to force. There is a simple compositional story about how (for instance) embedding a denial operator within a ‘force conditional’ makes if not A, then B fit to perform a sort of speech act which, when combined with B's denial, commits one to the aptness of asserting A. The trisection thesis — predicates trisect their domains into three groups, those they are true of, those they are false of, and the rest — is correct. The objection to the trisection thesis —that it is inconsistent with the idea that there are no sharp boundaries in a Sorites series — is not compelling: there is no conception of a ‘sharp boundary’ on which it's plausible, both that there are no sharp boundaries in a Sorites series, and that trisection involves the creation of sharp boundaries. Once we recognize that talk of indeterminacy is contrastive, we also recognize that higher order vagueness is not inconsistent with trisection. We also, once we think of indeterminacy as contrastive, come to see that indeterminacy itself is indeterminate: if it is indeterminate whether p, that indeterminacy itself is not something that is settled, but is itself indeterminate.Less
This chapter argues for the following theses. There are perfectly possible meanings (ones of a sort one would think are possessed by many vague predicates) which would necessitate a predicate's being gappy. Many arguments against the coherence of truth value gaps depend on a very narrow picture of saying, which ignores the possibility of such things as sui generis denial. Frege/Geach objections to things like sui generis denial dissolve once we observe that ‘not’ and other sentence compounding devices lead a double life, sometimes contributing to sense, sometimes to force. There is a simple compositional story about how (for instance) embedding a denial operator within a ‘force conditional’ makes if not A, then B fit to perform a sort of speech act which, when combined with B's denial, commits one to the aptness of asserting A. The trisection thesis — predicates trisect their domains into three groups, those they are true of, those they are false of, and the rest — is correct. The objection to the trisection thesis —that it is inconsistent with the idea that there are no sharp boundaries in a Sorites series — is not compelling: there is no conception of a ‘sharp boundary’ on which it's plausible, both that there are no sharp boundaries in a Sorites series, and that trisection involves the creation of sharp boundaries. Once we recognize that talk of indeterminacy is contrastive, we also recognize that higher order vagueness is not inconsistent with trisection. We also, once we think of indeterminacy as contrastive, come to see that indeterminacy itself is indeterminate: if it is indeterminate whether p, that indeterminacy itself is not something that is settled, but is itself indeterminate.
Doris Penka
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199567263
- eISBN:
- 9780191723261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567263.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter lays the ground for the following discussion by introducing central concepts such as negative indefinites, sentential negation, and constituent negation. It also provides background on ...
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This chapter lays the ground for the following discussion by introducing central concepts such as negative indefinites, sentential negation, and constituent negation. It also provides background on the syntactic and semantic framework in which the book is couched, and gives an outline of the following chapters.Less
This chapter lays the ground for the following discussion by introducing central concepts such as negative indefinites, sentential negation, and constituent negation. It also provides background on the syntactic and semantic framework in which the book is couched, and gives an outline of the following chapters.
James Davison Hunter
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730803
- eISBN:
- 9780199777082
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730803.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Politics has become a “social imaginary” that defines the horizon of understanding and the parameters for action. What is never challenged is the proclivity to think of the Christian faith and its ...
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Politics has become a “social imaginary” that defines the horizon of understanding and the parameters for action. What is never challenged is the proclivity to think of the Christian faith and its engagements with culture in political terms. For all, the public has been conflated with the political. But the ressentiment that marks the way they operate makes it clear that a crucial part of what motivates politics is a will to dominate. However, for politics to be about more than power, it depends upon a realm that is independent of the political process. The deepest irony is that the Christian faith has the possibility of autonomous institutions and practices that could be a source of ideals and values that could elevate politics to more than a quest for power. Instead, by nurturing its resentments, they become functional Nietzcheans, participating in the very cultural breakdown they so ardently strive to resist.Less
Politics has become a “social imaginary” that defines the horizon of understanding and the parameters for action. What is never challenged is the proclivity to think of the Christian faith and its engagements with culture in political terms. For all, the public has been conflated with the political. But the ressentiment that marks the way they operate makes it clear that a crucial part of what motivates politics is a will to dominate. However, for politics to be about more than power, it depends upon a realm that is independent of the political process. The deepest irony is that the Christian faith has the possibility of autonomous institutions and practices that could be a source of ideals and values that could elevate politics to more than a quest for power. Instead, by nurturing its resentments, they become functional Nietzcheans, participating in the very cultural breakdown they so ardently strive to resist.
