State Space Semantics (2009)

shared_uid1092
titleState Space Semantics
typeSéminaire
year2009
start_date2010/06/01
stop_date2010/06/03
schedule10h30-17h
activeno
websitehttp://semantics.univ-paris1.fr/index.php/visiteur/activite/afficher/activite/118
practical_infoIn connection with the third Semantics and Philosophy in Europe colloquium (SPE) in Paris, May 27-29 2010. Before 15 May, the fee will be 120 euros (200 for both this and Kit Fine's seminars); after 15 May, the fee will be 150 euros (250 for both)
summaryI propose an alternative to the usual ontology and semantics of possible worlds, in which possible worlds give way to possible states of affairs. These possible states have a rich logical and mereological structure, which can be exploited in giving a more satisfactory semantics for a variety of kinds of sentences. I will discuss various linguistic applications of state space semantics: to the semantics of questions, scalar implicatures, adverbial qualification in the context of a Davidsonian event semantics, anaphora and definite descriptions within a situation-based approach, as well as counterfactuals. The preparatory session will discuss current views of situations and events with their main applications to linguistic semantics
responsiblesMoltmann, Priest