Donald Davidson's Truth-Theoretic Semantics

by Ernest Lepore, Kirk Ludwig

Overview

Ernest Lepore and Kirk Ludwig examine the foundations and applications of Davidson's influential program of truth-theoretic semantics for natural languages. The program uses an axiomatic truth theory for a language, which meets certain constraints, to serve the goals of a compositional meaning theory.

Lepore and Ludwig explain and clarify the motivations for the approach, and then consider how to apply the framework to a range of important natural language constructions, including quantifiers, proper names, indexicals, simple and complex demonstratives, quotation, adjectives and adverbs, the simple and perfect tenses, temporal adverbials and temporal quantifiers, tense in sentential complement clauses, attitude and indirect discourse reports, and the problem of interrogative and imperative sentences. They not only discuss Davidson's own contributions to these subjects but consider criticisms, developments, and alternatives as well. They conclude with a discussion of logical form in natural language in light of the approach, the role of the concept of truth in the program, and Davidson's view of it. Anyone working on meaning will find this book invaluable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199561681
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	362
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ernest Lepore is Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University and Associate Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science.

Kirk Ludwig is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florida.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Truth-theoretic semantics: basic framework2. Quantifiers3. Implementation of the extension of the truth theory to quantifiers4. Proper names, indexicals and simple demonstratives5. Complex demonstratives6. The semantics of quotation7. Adjectives and adverbs8. The simple tenses of state and event verbs9. Temporal adverbials and quantifiers10. Tense in sentential complements and the perfect tenses11. Opaque contexts: indirect discourse and attitude sentences12. Non-declarative sentences13. Semantic structure and logical form14. Truth and correspondence

Editorial Reviews

"L&L display a lot of ingenuity and technical skill in order to accommodate the Davidson truth-theoretic framework."—Pascal Engel, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

From the Publisher