Word Meaning vs. Sentence Meaning

Abstract

While discussion on the autonomy of semantics and the preferability of this or that type of theory is of interest, the scope and form of any semantic theory will ultimately be determined by the thoroughness and efficiency of its descriptive procedures. Katz's identification of meaning with logical form or Chomsky's inclusion of belief systems may evade the issue. Whether or not a sentence such as the temperature is dropping is situationally connected to the coming of a glacial epoch, there are still intralinguistic relations which have to be described independently, and which cannot be reduced to a logical form normally free of content.