LING 1 Lecture 15: Ling 1 Notes 15
Document Summary
Language is a rule governed system paying attention to linguistic structures. We can utter or understand an in nite number of new sentences. > we know rules that create larger objects from smaller objects. A natural language grammar must minimally consist of: Syntax: sentences are formed based on words and syntactic rules. Semantics: study of (how speakers understand) what is literally said. In part, speakers are able to decide truth values in principle. Given the situation we are in (or given the situation we would be in), is a sentence s true or not. To calculate truth values, we need to know the reference of the terms we use, and of the syntactic constituents they form (e. g. the reference of a vp) Atoms: reference of syntactic atoms (e. g. noun, or a verb) Entailment: a type of inference: a logical relation between sentences p => q. In every conceivable situation in which p is true, q is also true.
