scholarly journals Indefiniteness

Linguistics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriëtte de Swart
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Semantic Theory ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Generalized Quantifiers ◽  
Discourse Representation Theory ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Bare Plurals ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Bare Nominals

The philosophical work on definite and indefinite descriptions of the form “the N” and “a N” focuses on the logic of natural language. Definites and indefinites are sometimes treated as devices of reference and at other times associated with quantificational expressions. Along with quantificational noun phrases such as “every N” they receive a unified analysis as generalized quantifiers. Insights into the semantic properties of generalized quantifiers have led to productive lines of research on indefinites in existential contexts and indefinites under negation, including negative polarity items and negative concord items. Clearly, indefinites have referential features as well. Unlike true quantificational expressions, they serve as anchors for anaphoric pronouns in subsequent discourse, which motivates Discourse Representation theory as a dynamic extension of first-order logic. Their variable quantificational force is accounted for by the treatment of indefinites as variables, which depend on other quantifiers in the sentence. The observation that indefinites can scope out of scope islands such as embedded clauses gave rise to analyses in terms of choice functions. Finally, indefinites are frequently found in predicative contexts, which have led to analyses in terms of property denotations. Many analyses focus on one particular aspect of indefinites, or posit ambiguities between different types of denotations. However, the quantificational, referential, and predicative roles of indefinites can be reconciled in a type-shifting framework, which allows indefinites to live in different types. Besides singular indefinite articles, languages may also have plural indefinite articles. Interestingly, many languages do not grammaticalize indefinite articles and instead use bare plurals or bare singulars. In English, bare plurals are ontologically different from full indefinites in that they may refer to kinds, besides regular individuals. They also display a different scopal behavior, in that they take obligatory narrow scope with respect to other scope-bearing operators. In languages where we find them, bare singulars share these features. Typological variation raises a special interest in grammaticalization patterns over time. Indefinites have also drawn attention in the psycholinguistic literature in which their cognitive status and the relation of indefinites with bare nominals and definites in acquisition and processing has been investigated. All in all, the study of indefiniteness is relevant for philosophy of language, semantic theory, the syntax-semantics interface, language typology, historical linguistics, and psycholinguistics. Additional relevant references to indefinite descriptions and indefiniteness appear in the Oxford Bibliographies articles Definiteness, Anaphora, Negation, and Polarity.

Bare Nominals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert Le Bruyn ◽  
Henriëtte de Swart ◽  
Joost Zwarts
Keyword(s):  
Definite Article ◽  
Count Nouns ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Bare Plurals ◽  
Nominal Structure ◽  
Bare Nouns ◽  
Bare Nominal ◽  
Bare Nominals ◽  
Made In ◽  
Generic Sentences

Bare nominals (also called “bare nouns”) are nominal structures without an overt article or other determiner. The distinction between a bare noun and a noun that is part of a larger nominal structure must be made in context: Milk is a bare nominal in I bought milk, but not in I bought the milk. Bare nouns have a limited distribution: In subject or object position, English allows bare mass nouns and bare plurals, but not bare singular count nouns (*I bought table). Bare singular count nouns only appear in special configurations, such as coordination (I bought table and chairs for £182). From a semantic perspective, it is noteworthy that bare nouns achieve reference without the support of a determiner. A full noun phrase like the cookies refers to the maximal sum of cookies in the context, because of the definite article the. English bare plurals have two main interpretations: In generic sentences they refer to the kind (Cookies are sweet), in episodic sentences they refer to some exemplars of the kind (Cookies are in the cabinet). Bare nouns typically take narrow scope with respect to other scope-bearing operators like negation. The typology of bare nouns reveals substantial variation, and bare nouns in languages other than English may have different distributions and meanings. But genericity and narrow scope are recurring features in the cross-linguistic study of bare nominals.

scholarly journals Aerobic or strength training and flexibility activities and mild cognitive impairment: CETI cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Dupré ◽  
B Bongue ◽  
L Fruteau de Laclos ◽  
J Blais ◽  
M-J Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Initiative Program ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Previous studies have been notably criticized for not studying the different types of physical activity. The objective of this work was to examine the association between types of physical activity and cognitive decline in older people. Methods This is a sub-group analysis from the CETI cohort, a multicenter prospective study conducted by the Canadian Emergency Team Initiative Program (CETIE), between 2011 and 2016. Participants were community-dwelling seniors aged ≥ 65 years, consult emergency services for minor injuries with follow-up at 3 and 6 months. Physical activity was assessed by the RAPA (Rapid assessment of Physical activity), which describes the level of aerobic activities and the overall level of muscle strength and flexibility activities. The cognitive status was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), using their current cut-offs (MoCA <26/30 and TICS < = 35/50) for mild cognitive impairments (MCI). Logistic regression, COX models and splines were used to examine the association between the type of physical activities and the onset of cognitive impairment. Results At inclusion, 281 individuals were free of MCI, or 43.8% of the total sample, with an average age of 73 years. During follow-ups, MCI appeared in 31.7% of participants initially free of it. The risk of MCI was lower with higher muscular strength & flexibility physical activities (HR = 0.84 [0.70-0.99]), while the relationship with aerobic physical activities was not significant. Conclusions These results showed a potential link between strength & flexibility activities and cognitive impairments, but not with aerobic physical activities. Further analyses are needed to examine whether these relationships persist as a function of the adjustment variables, or statistical methods. This study contributes to the debate on the evaluation of physical activity in the elderly, and its link with neurodegenerative diseases. Key messages This study analyzed the link between types of physical activity and mild cognitive disorders. The aim is to put in place preventive policies of aging, specially in neurodegenerative diseases. The work allowed us to see the effect of the different types of physical activity and the impact of the statistical method on the results.

Going beyond motion events typology: The case of Basque as a verb-framed language

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iraide Ibarretxe-Antuñano
Keyword(s):  
Motion Verbs ◽  
High Tolerance ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Lexical Resources ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Motion Event ◽  
New Information ◽  
Different Types

AbstractThe concept of motion is present in all the world’s languages. However, the ways in which speakers of different languages codify motion do not seem to be so universal. Languages offer different types of structures to express motion, and speakers pay attention to different elements within the motion event. The goal of this paper is to examine in great detail how motion events are described and expressed in Basque oral and written narratives. This study focuses on three main areas: motion verbs, elaboration of Manner and elaboration of Path. Although Basque can be classified in Talmy’s terms as a verb-framed language, it is argued that it is not a prototypical example of this group with respect to the lexicalisation of Path. Unlike other verb-framed languages, the description of Path in Basque motion events is very frequent and detailed, not only in situations when it adds new information, but also in pleonastic cases. This characteristic seems to be related to Basque’s rich lexical resources for motion and space, as well as to its high tolerance for verb omission. On the basis of these data, the scope of Talmy’s binary typology is questioned. It is suggested that the verb- and satellite-framed language typology should be revised in order to account for these intra-typological differences.

scholarly journals Cognitive function and type of physical activity: results from the FRéLE longitudinal study

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Dupré ◽  
D Hupin ◽  
C Goumou ◽  
F Béland ◽  
F Roche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Domestic Activity ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Previous cohorts have been notably criticized for not studying the different type of physical activity and not investigating household activities. The objective of this work was to analyse the relation between physical activity and cognitive decline in older people living in community. Impact of type of physical activity on the results has been realised. Methods The study used data from the longitudinal and observational study , FrèLE (FRagility: Longitudinal Study of Expressions). The collected data included: socio-demographic variables, lifestyle, and health status (frailty, comorbidities, cognitive status, depression). Cognitive decline was assessed by using: MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination)and MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Physical activity was assessed by the PASE (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly). This tool is structured in three sections: the leisure activity, the domestic activity and the professional activity. Logistic regressions and proportional hazards regression models (Cox) were used to estimate the risk of cognitive disorders. Results At baseline, the prevalence of cognitive disorders was 6.9% according to MMSE. In total, 1326 participants without cognitive disorders were included in the analysis. The mean age was 77.4 years, and 52.1% of the participants were women. After a 2 years long follow-up, we found cognitive disorders on 92 participants (6.9%). Physical activity at baseline is lower in older adults for whom cognitive decline was observed after two years of follow-up. Subclass analyses showed that leisure and domestic activities were associated to cognitive decline, but not professional activities. Conclusions Analysis showed a relationship between cognitive disorders and type of physical activity. The current study will be completed by the MoCA for mild cognitive impairment. These findings compared to other ongoing studies will contribute to the debate on the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition. Key messages The work allowed us to analyze the link between the different types of physical activity and mild to severe cognitive disorders. The aim is to put in place preventive policies of aging. The work allowed us to see the effect of the different types of physical activity and the impact of the statistical method on the results.

De cognitieve drie-eenheid: realiseren, interpreteren en abstraheren

2014 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Radder
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
Conceptual Innovation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Causal Judgments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship

The article consists of three main sections, in which I successively discuss the nature and role of realization, interpretation and abstraction in experimental and observational processes. In this way, these sections address several fundamental problems in philosophy of science, ontology and epistemology, and philosophy of language. Section 1 introduces the notion of realization processes, and argues that successful realization requires causal judgments. The second section discusses the role of conceptual interpretation in experiments and observations, explains how realization and interpretation can be distinguished, and emphasizes the significance of different types and ranges of experimental and observational reproducibility. It also includes a subsection on the issue of reproducibility in contemporary social sciences and psychology. Section 3 explains how concepts are abstracted from existing realization processes, and concludes that abstraction bestows a nonlocal meaning on these extensible concepts. In addition, I discuss and criticize some rival views of abstraction and concept meaning (to wit, mentalism and localism). The article concludes with some observations on the notion of a (cognitive) trinity.In my reply, I respond to the points raised in the six commentary papers. The following issues are addressed: the place of causality in physics (Steffen Ducheyne), perception in ordinary life (Monica Meijsing), the role of reproducibility in psychology and the social sciences (Daniël Lakens, Ruud Abma), the significance and implications of conceptual innovation (Lieven Decock), and the relationship between meaning, communication and ontology (Martin Stokhof and Michiel van Lambalgen).

Meaning and Interpretation

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-141
Author(s):  
Piotr Stalmaszczyk
Keyword(s):  
Representation Theory ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Dynamic Semantics ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Discourse Representation ◽  
Discourse Representation Theory ◽  
Dynamic Character ◽  
Hans Kamp

Meaning and the Dynamics of Interpretation brings together fourteen papers by Hans Kamp, whose research is concerned with formal linguistics, philosophy of language, logic, cognitive science and computer science. Central to this research are problems of presupposition, context dependency, vagueness of meaning, the dynamic character of interpretation, the issues contributing to the version of dynamic semantics known as Discourse Representation Theory, and associated with the dynamic turn in the study of meaning and interpretation.

Langer, Susanne Katherina Knauth (1895–1985)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peg Brand
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Semantic Theory ◽  
Works Of Art ◽  
Art Works

With roots in logic, philosophy of language and philosophy of mind, Susanne Langer sought to explicate the meaning and cognitive import of art works by developing a theory of symbolism that located works of art at the centre of a network of relations based firmly on semantic theory. Art works were non-discursive, presentational symbols that expressed an artist’s ‘life of feeling’, by which observers, through a process of immediate apprehension (or intuition) came to acquire knowledge.

The nature of meaning

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Peregrin
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Semantic Theory ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
The World ◽  
Interactive View ◽  
The Way

Part of the philosophy of language of the 20th century is marked by a shift from the view of language as a tool of representing the world to its view as a means of interacting with the world. This shift is common to the later Wittgenstein, to pragmatists and neopragmatists including Brandom, and also to Chomsky and his school. The claim of the paper is that though the Chomskyans have offered an admirably elaborated theory of syntax adequate to the interactive view of language, they failed to develop a comparably adequate notion of semantics; and that it is Brandom‘s approach which, though prima facie much more speculative and much less scientific, paves the way to a semantic theory which an ‘interactivist’ should endorse.

scholarly journals Linguistic Complexity across Two Early Modern English Scientific Text Types

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-71
Author(s):  
Jesús Romero-Barranco
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Medical Texts ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Scientific Text ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Early Modern English ◽  
Text Types ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Early English

In linguistics the concept of complexity has been analysed from various perspectives, among them language typology and the speech/writing distinction. Within intralinguistic studies, certain key linguistic features associated with reduced or increased complexity have been identified. These features occur in different patterns across various registers and their frequency is an indicator of the level of complexity of different kinds of texts. The concept of complexity has not, to date, been evaluated in early English medical writing, especiallyin terms of different text types. Thus, the present article analyses linguistic complexity in two Early Modern English medical texts, a surgical treatise (ff. 34r-73v) and a collection of medical recipes (ff. 74r-121v) housed as MS Hunter 135 in Glasgow University Library. Since they represent two different types of medical text, they can be productively compared in terms of linguistic complexity. The results obtained confirm that the surgical treatise is more complex than the collection of medical recipes owing to the higher presence of linguistic features denoting increased complexity in the former and of those indicating reduced linguistic complexity in the latter.

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