The difference between sentences that are evaluated by linguistic significance alone and sentences that are evaluated by linguistic significance and other circumstances

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

16 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

01/16/2009

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Linguistics

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Summary :

Introduction.
Peculiarity of certain sentences of the language.
The framework and methodology.
Description on linguistic significance and evaluation.
Stipulation of evaluating sentences.
The nature of distinction.
Sentences being evaluated by assignment alone.
Linguistic significance by expressions occurring in the sentence.
The semantical issues.
The informativeness of a sentence.
Russell's view.
Conclusion.
References.

Abstract

Significant differences among sentences of natural language certainly occur. It is not a matter of theoretical philosophy or theoretical linguistics but simply common sense. The difference I would like to focus on is the one between sentences that are evaluated using linguistic significance alone and sentences that are evaluated using linguistic significance and (other) circumstances. In this chapter, I'll introduce the distinction and I'll test it investigating simple sentences involving proper names in subject position, such as 'Diego Maradona exists' and 'Diego Maradona runs'. Afterwards, I will add some remarks about the distinction introduced. As a preliminary to my point of view, let me start with some pre-theoretical remarks. 'I am, I exist' "is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind" (Descartes, 1641: ***). 'I am sitting in front of the fire', instead, is not necessarily true every time I utter it. Descartes in the second of the Meditations on First Philosophy brings our attention to the difference between these two cases. I do not want to do any Cartesian exegesis concerning this famous passage, but I'll articulate my way the remark.