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Reference to Abstract Objects in Discourse

  • Book
  • © 1993

Overview

Authors:
  1. Nicholas Asher

    1. Department of Philosophy and Center for Cognitive Science, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

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Part of the book series: Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy (SLAP, volume 50)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
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  2. Introduction

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 1-14

  3. From Events to Propositions: A Tour of Abstract Entities, Eventualities and the Nominals that Denote Them

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 15-62

  4. A Crash Course in DRT

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 63-110

  5. Attitudes and Attitude Descriptions

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 111-137

  6. The Semantic Representation for Sentential Nominals

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 138-189

  7. Problems for the Semantics of Nominals

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 190-224

  8. Anaphora and Abstract Entities

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 225-255

  9. A Theory of Discourse Structure for an Analysis of Abstract Entity Anaphora

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 256-311

  10. Applying the Theory of Discourse Structure to the Anaphoric Phenomena

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 312-353

  11. Applications of the Theory of Discourse Structure to Concept Anaphora and VP Ellipsis

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 354-386

  12. Model Theory for Abstract Entities and its Philosophical Implications

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 387-433

  13. Conclusion

    • Nicholas Asher
    Pages 434-435

  14. Back Matter

    Pages 436-458
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Keywords

About this book

Reference to Abstract Objects in Discourse presents a novel framework and analysis of the ways we refer to abstract objects in natural language discourse. The book begins with a typology of abstract objects and related entities like eventualities. After an introduction to `bottom up, compositional' discourse representation theory (DRT) and to previous work on abstract objects in DRT (notably work on the semantics of the attitudes), the book turns to a semantic analysis of eventuality and abstract object denoting nominals in English. The book then substantially revises and extends the dynamic semantic framework of DRT to develop an analysis of anaphoric reference to abstract objects and eventualities that exploits discourse structure and the discourse relations that obtain between elements of the structure. A dynamic, semantically based theory of discourse structure (SDRT) is proposed, along with many illustrative examples. Two further chapters then provide the analysis of anaphoric reference to propositions VP ellipsis. The abstract entity anaphoric antecedents are elements of the discourse structures that SDRT develops. The final chapter discusses some logical and philosophical difficulties for a semantic analysis of reference to abstract objects.
For semanticists, philosophers of language, computer scientists interested in natural language applications and discourse, philosophical logicians, graduate students in linguistics, philosophy, cognitive science and artificial intelligence.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy and Center for Cognitive Science, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

    Nicholas Asher

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Reference to Abstract Objects in Discourse

  • Authors: Nicholas Asher

  • Series Title: Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1715-9

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1993

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-2242-9Published: 30 April 1993

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-010-4751-7Published: 21 October 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-011-1715-9Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0924-4662

  • Series E-ISSN: 2215-034X

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 455

  • Topics: Philosophy of Language, Semantics, Logic

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