REFERENCE TO ABSTRACT OBJECTS IN DISCOURSE

Transcription

1 REFERENCE TO ABSTRACT OBJECTS IN DISCOURSE

2 Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy Volume 50 Managing Editors GENNARO CHIERCHIA, University of Milan PAULINE JACOBSON, Brown University FRANCIS 1. PELLETIER, University of Alberta Editorial Board JOHAN V AN BENTHEM, University of Amsterdam GREGORY N. CARLSON, University of Rochester DAVID DOWTY, Ohio State University, Columbus GERALD GAZDAR, University of Sussex, Brighton IRENE HElM, MIT., Cambridge EW AN KLEIN, University of Edinburgh BILL LADUSA W, University of California at Santa Cruz lerrence PARSONS, University of California, Irvine The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.

3 REFERENCE TO ABSTRACT OBJECTS IN DISCOURSE by NICHOLAS ASHER Department of Philosophy and Center for Cognitive Science, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A. SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.

4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Asher. Nlcholas. Reference to abstract oojec!s ln dlscourse by N,cho'as Asher. c. cm. -- IStudles I ~ l1nguistlcs and Phllcsophy : v. 501 Includes blbllograchlcal references and Index. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / ,. Anaphora ILlnguIstlCS) 2. DIscourse analysls. 3. Grammar. Ccmoaratlve and genera!--nomlnals. 4. Semantlcs. 5. Abstractlan. r. Tltle. II. Serles. P299.A5A o c 2 ~ ISBN Printed on acid-free paper AlI Rights Reserved 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1993 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 1993 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any fonn or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any infonnation storage and retrieval system, without written pennission from the copyright owner.

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ix IN1RODUCflON 1 CHAPTER 1 -- FROM EVENTS TO PROPOSITIONS: A TOUR OF ABSTRACT ENTITIES, EVENTUALITIES AND THE NOMINALS THAT DENOTE THEM Distributional Data and the Typology of Abstract Entities Events and Propositions: The Poles of the Spectrum States and Other Sorts of Eventualities Situations Divisions Among Proposition-like Entities Quantification, Abstract Object Anaphora and the Typology of Abstract Objects Quantification Anaphora Principles of Summation and Structured Domains for Abstract Entities Events Propositions States Facts Provisional Conclusions 57 CHAPTER 2 -- A CRASH COURSE IN DRT A Philosophical Overview of the Aims of Discourse Representation Theory The Basic Fragment DRSs and Truth Conditions The Basic Construction Procedure DRS Construction, Multiple Sentence Discourse, and Intersentential Anaphora Every and if... then SubDRSs, Accessibility, and Anaphora Scopes for Quantifiers in DRT and Other Constraints on Anaphora Other Determiners and Operators in the Basic Fragment External Anchors and Definites Expanding the Fragment: Events in DRT Plurals in DRT 91

6 VI CONTENTS 4.1 DRS Construction for Plurals and Basic Plural Anaphora Plural Anaphora Appendix: Fonnalization of DRS Construction and DRS Interpretation Definition ofdrss Model Theory The Construction Procedure and its Semantics 98 CHAPTER 3 -- ATTITUDES AND ATTITUDE DESCRIPTIONS Attitudes and Attitude Fonnation Attitudes, Operators, and Predicates Interpreting Attitude Ascriptions Concepts and Attitudes Attitudes, Propositions, and Representations Conclusions CHAPTER 4 -- TIlE SEMANTIC REPRESENTATION FOR SENTENTIAL NOMINALS Syntactic and Semantic Assumptions and Basic Principles Assumptions about Syntax and the Syntax-Semantics Interface Additional Semantic Principles and the Effects of the DP Analysis on DRS Construction Derived Nominals The Distinction between Process and Result Nominals Process Nominals Result Nominals Propositional and Fact Readings of Derived Nominals Remarks on Property Derived Nominals Of-ing Gerund Phrases and Bare Nominals Analysis of of-ing Gerund Phrases The Aspectual Force of -ing in Of-ing Gerunds Bare Gerunds and Nominals That Clauses That Clauses Differ from DPs N'-CP Constructions That Clause Constructions, Factive Presuppositions, and Individual Anaphora More Abstract Nominals: Infmitivals and Projective Propositions Analysis of Infinitivals Chierchia's Analysis of Infinitivals 184 CHAPTER 5 -- PROBLEMS FOR TIlE SEMANTICS OF NOMINALS IP Gerunds and Some Data About Them The Syntactic and Semantic Analysis oflp Gerunds ACC-ing Constructions as IPs POSS-ing Constructions as IPs Naked Infinitives Correspondences and Connections Between Abstract Objects The Structure of Abstract Object Domains in Natural Language Metaphysics 206

7 CONTENTS Vll 4.2 The Spectra of Nouniness and World Immanence Do Not Correlate Completely Proposition Readings for Fact Nominals: Shifts up the Spectrum of World Immanence Predicate Incompatibilities and Polymorphic Characterizing Structures Metaphysical Relations Between Eventualities and Abstract Objects in Natural Language Metaphysics The Problem of Event Negation Solved Three Tests for Negation and Event Descriptions Negation Without Wide Scope Adverbials Negation and Wide Scope Adverbials Negation and Event Nominals Conclusions Conceming DRS Construction for Nominals: Lessons for Natural Language Metaphysics 221 CHAPTER 6 -- ANAPHORA AND ABSTRACT ENTITIES Toward a Unified Analysis of Abstract Entity Anaphora Event Anaphora Event-Type Anaphora and Using Event-Types to Construct Event Sums Proposition Anaphora Fact Anaphora Concept Anaphora in DRT Concept Anaphora with Explicit Anaphors VP Ellipsis in DR Theory 251 CHAPTER 7 -- A THEORY OF DISCOURSE STRUCTURE FOR AN ANALYSIS OF ABSTRACT ENTITY ANAPHORA The Problem of Discourse Structure and Anaphora Discourse Structure and Discourse Representation Theory Discourse Relations and Their Semantics Principles of Discourse Segmentation and SDRS Constituent 4.1 Construction Constraints on Attachment Inferring Discourse Relations Rules for Attachment Revision of Constituents after Updating Taking Stock Appendix of Definitions and Constraints in Chapter Basic Defmitions for SDRSs and Their Constituents Axioms and Meaning Postulates for Discourse Relations Basic Defmitions and Axioms for SDRS Updating Constituent Revision 304 CHAPTER 8 -- APPLYING THE THEORY OF DISCOURSE STRUCTURE TO THE ANAPHORIC PHENOMENA Constraints on Abstract Object Anaphora Derived from an SDRS: Availability and Well-Foundedness Some Examples of Proposition Anaphora

8 Vlll CONTENTS 3. Availability, Anaphora and Constituent Revision 3.1 Availability and Parallelism and Contrast 3.2 Availability and Topic Revision 3.3 The Limits of Availability 4. Discourse Subordination 5. Event and Plural Anaphora Revisited 6. Anaphoric Connections Across Different Abstract Types 7. Conclusions About Abstract Anaphora CHAPTER 9 -- APPLICATIONS OF THE THEORY OF DISCOURSE STRUCTURE TO CONCEPT ANAPHORA AND VP ELLIPSIS Extending SDRS Theory Examples of Overt Concept Anaphora VPEllipsis Sloppy Identity Concluding Thoughts on Abstract Entity Anaphora Appendix of Definitions and Constraints for Concept Anaphora CHAPTER MODEL THEORY FOR ABSTRACT ENTITIES AND ITS PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS First Order or Higher Order DRT? Intentional Frames and Intensional Contents Problems of Self-Reference Two Arguments for a Representational Theory of Abstract Entities Metaphysical Representationalism and Metaphysical Reduction Technical Appendix Intentional Frames and Frege Structures Intensional Contents The Semantics for the Expanded Construction Procedure 429 CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

9 PREFACE I have many to thank for what is good in this book--friends, colleagues, and family. At Texas I have received support and helpful comments on drafts from many. I would like to thank especially Maria Bittner, Dan Bonevac, Maggie Browning, Herbert Hochberg, Manfred Krifka, Per Lindstrom, Joanna Seibt, Carlota Smith, and my students, Paul Losiewicz, David Newman, Ben Rode, Andrew Schwartz, Munindar Singh, and Katsuhito Yabushita. I also would like to thank the University of Texas University Research Institute and the National Science Foundation, grant number IRI , for financial support during my labors on this book. The Center for Cognitive Science at the University of Texas has also generously provided computer and technical support for this project. Without Adrienne Diehr and Marj Troutner of the Cognitive Science Center, this manuscript would have been replete with typographical errors and sloppy drawings--a special thanks to them. A special thanks is also due to Deborah Nichols, who read over much of the manuscript and improved its style and accuracy. I also want to thank colleagues and friends at the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany. I was able to do considerable work on this book at Stuttgart, thanks to the generous support of the Sonderforschungsbereich 340 and to the efforts of Hans Kamp and Christian Rohrer to bring me there. lowe a special debt to Hans Kamp, who has been a friend, colleague, intellectual guide, and collaborator on DRT and related topics for ten years. But there are many others from Stuttgart to thank--rainer Bauerle, Kurt Eberle, Veerle van Geenhoven, Fritz Hamro, Michael Morreau, and especially Antje RoBdeutscher. Finally, I would like to thank David Beaver, Kathy Dahlgren, Claire Gardent, Franz Guenthner, Alex Lascarides, Carol Lord, Joyce McDowell, Fredericke Moltmann, Jeff Pelletier, Rob van der Sandt, Jerry Seligman, Frank Veltman, and Alessandro Zucci for their helpful comments on drafts and discussions about topics in the book.