The Research of ‘是’ Existential Sentence

2018 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 25-46
Author(s):  
Gyo-ree Park
Keyword(s):  
Existential Sentence

Recursive categoricity and persistence

1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 430-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence Millar
Keyword(s):  
First Order ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Order Language ◽  
Recursive Structures ◽  
Definition Of

This paper is concerned with recursive structures and the persistance of an effective notion of categoricity. The terminology and notational conventions are standard. We will devote the rest of this paragraph to a cursory review of some of the assumed conventions. If θ is a formula, then θk denotes θ if k is zero, and ¬θ if k is one. If A is a sequence with domain a subset of ω, then A∣n denotes the sequence obtained by restricting the domain of A to n. For an effective first order language L, let {ci∣i<ω} be distinct new constants, and let {θi∣i<ω} be an effective enumeration of all sentences in the language L ∪ {ci∣j<ω}. An infinite L-structure is recursive iff it has universe ω and the set is recursive, where cn is interpreted by n. In general we say that a set of formulas is recursive if the set of its indices with respect to an enumeration such as above is recursive. The ∃-diagram of a structure is recursive if the structure is recursive and the set and θi is an existential sentence} is also recursive. The definition of “the ∀∃-diagram of is recursive” is similar.

The role of referential givenness in Dutch alternating presentational constructions

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 21-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Belligh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Representations ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Linguistic Structures

Abstract Presentational constructions are linguistic structures that can convey all-focus utterances with no topic constituent that serve to introduce a referentially new entity or event into the discourse. Like many other languages, Dutch has several presentational constructions, including a Prosodic Inversion Construction (PIC), a Syntactic Inversion with Filler Insertion Construction (SIFIC) and a Non-Prototypical Cleft Construction (NPC). This article investigates these structures as alternating presentational constructions and focuses on referential givenness as a possible factor influencing the alternation. Based on a data elicitation task, referential givenness is shown to play a role in the choice of alternant. The PIC is predominantly used with unused/inactive and accessible Mental Representations of Referents (MRRs), but it can also contain brand-new MRRs. The NPC is exclusively used with brand-new MRRs. The SIFIC is used mostly with brand-new MRRs, but it can also contain accessible MRRs, in particular in positions other than the syntactic subject. The data elicitation task yielded a number of additional Dutch linguistic structures that could also be considered presentational constructions, including a construction with a perception verb used in a weak verb-like fashion and a construction with an existential sentence combined with a coordinated canonical topic-comment clause.

Another look at definites in existentials

1982 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Ziv
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Features ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Existential Sentences

Existential sentences have usually been defined on the basis of their morpho-syntactic characteristics. In English, the term has been used to designate those sentences in which the unstressed, non-deictic there occurs. It has been further observed that most such sentences contain the verb be, an indefinite NP and a locative adverbial following there in that order. Despite this syntactic characterization, however, the term ‘existential sentence’ has been taken, erroneously, to refer to some semantic features of the sentence as well, and so it has been generally assumed that existential sentences always assert the existence of some entity.1

Functions of the noun phrase

2020 ◽  
pp. 98-110
Author(s):  
Gerjan van Schaaik
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Main Topic ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Possessive Constructions ◽  
Adverbial Phrase

Roughly speaking, only four syntactic roles can be distinguished for a noun phrase: subject, object, adverbial phrase, and predicate in a verbal sentence the predicate is a verb, in a nominal sentence it is a noun phrase, and in an existential sentence it is either var or yok. In a verbal sentence one or more objects may occur, depending on the type of verb, transitive or intransitive. Other sentence types do not allow for objects, but all types must have a subject, while one or more adverbial phrases are optional. All this forms the main topic of this top of that, it is explained how noun phrases are applied in genitive-possessive constructions.

Persistence and Herbrand expansions

1963 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Wholey
Keyword(s):  
First Order ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

Following Robinson [3], we say that a first-order sentence S is persistent with respect to a set of sentences K if, whenever S is true in a model M of K, then S is true in every extension of M that is also a model of K. Robinson proved in [3] that:(T) In order that the sentence S be persistent with respect to the set K it is necessary and sufficient that there be some existential sentence Y such that the sentence S↔Y is deducible from K.

A contrastive analysis of (English) ‘there’ and (Spanish) hay existential sentences

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-164
Author(s):  
Javier Pérez-Guerra
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Specific Description ◽  
Existential Sentences ◽  
Existential Construction ◽  
Selection Of

This study is devoted to the grammatical, semantic and informative analysis of the so-called existential sentence (“There is a girl in the garden” in English, or Hay una niña en el jardín ‘There-is a girl in the garden’ in Spanish) in an attempt to establish a multi-linguistic prototype of the construction. To that end, data from several corpora of contemporary spoken English and Spanish are analysed in a number of ways, including the frequency of this construction in the two languages, the basic elements of its syntactic structure, and the semantic and informative constraints which operate in the existential/presentational construction. This study also deals with the degree of variation which these sentences exhibit and how this affects the selection of the marker of the construction (‘there’, hay), agreement between the marker or the verb and the postverbal noun phrase, the accommodation of additional constituents such as locative phrases or nominal postmodifiers and complements, the so-called indefiniteness restriction, and the compliance with general informative principles to which English and Spanish are claimed to be subject. A corpus-based contrastive methodology leads both to a prototypical and to a language-specific description of the existential construction in English and Spanish, in which the notion of grammatical, semantic and informative versatility plays a significant role.

Indeterminate Descriptions

1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-276
Author(s):  
G.W. Fitch
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Definite Descriptions ◽  
Existential Sentence

One of the most important insights that Russell had in presenting his philosophy of language was his view of singular definite descriptions. Russell held that singular phrases of the form ‘the so-and-so’ should not be viewed as names, but rather incomplete symbols which can be said to have meaning only in a context. We should not represent the sentence(1) The inventor of bifocals is bald.as a simple subject-predicate sentence of the form ‘Fa.’ but rather as a complex existential sentence. According to Russell we should analyze (I) as(2) There is a unique x such that x invented bifocals and x is bald.Moreover, if Russell's analysis is correct then the proposition expressed by (1) will be true in a given circumstance provided that there is a unique inventor of bifocals who is bald in that circumstance.

scholarly journals What Kind of Necessary Being Could God Be?

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Swinburne
Keyword(s):  
Human Language ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Rigid Designators ◽  
Necessary Being ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Necessary Truth ◽  
The Universe

A logically impossible sentence is one which entails a contradiction, a logically necessary sentence is one whose negation entails a contradiction, and a logically possible sentence is one which does not entail a contradiction. Metaphysically impossible, necessary and possible sentences are ones which become logically impossible, necessary, or possible by substituting what I call informative rigid designators for uninformative ones. It does seem very strongly that a negative existential sentence cannot entail a contradiction, and so ‘there is a God’ cannot be a metaphysically necessary truth. If it were such a truth, innumerable other sentences which seem paradigm examples of logically possible sentences, such as ‘no one knows everything’ would turn out to be logically impossible. The only way in which God could be a logically necessary being is if there were eternal necessary propositions independent of human language or God’s will, such that the proposition that there is no God would entail – via propositions inaccessible to us – a contradiction. But if there were such propositions, God would have less control over the universe than he would have otherwise.

Teaching and Learning the Awareness of Existence in English Existential Sentences

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 326-342
Author(s):  
Chung Hsien Hsu ◽  
Yung-pin Lu ◽  
Chen-hua Hsueh
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Chinese Character ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Existential Sentence ◽  
Sentence Construction ◽  
Grammatical Error ◽  
Existential Sentences ◽  
Potential Difficulty

This present study investigates the reasons that cause Chinese students’ difficulties, in learning English existential sentence, there-be structure. A set of questions are designed to examine their awareness of ‘existence’ in both languages. 609 participants attain this study. After data analysis, two findings indicate: (1) Students are used to selecting location as a subject starting an existential sentence which is similar to Chinese syntax, and there-be might be considered of using only when location is not given. (2) With the influence of Chinese syntax, the awareness between the place and the main noun forms because that a thing/object as a subject keeps have / has as its verb could change sentence construction and cannot effectively express the original existence in English. Therefore, this grammatical error stems not only from differences in awareness of existence between languages, but also from different grammar expressions about existence. In addition, in Chinese, existence (there-be) and possession (have/has), are expressed and translated by the only one Chinese character ‘有’. Most teachers normally adopt “have” idea to help interlingual translation to learn EES. However, this teaching might lead to a potential difficulty for students to be aware of existential difference between English and Chinese.

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