Abstract
Problems related to indexicality, such as Sidelle's Answering Machine Paradox, have been problematic for direct reference theorists. The solutions suggested to date are not wholly satisfactory. I suggest that the correct solution requires an account of context shifting in natural language. However, existing context shifting accounts assume that context shifting is a purely semantic, operator-governed mechanism. This view has trouble dealing with so-called 'free shifts', such as the answering machine problem. I discuss these approaches and sketch a new account in terms of discourse context, which should be viewed as a pragmatic feature.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 356-368 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (Subseries of Lecture Notes in Computer Science) |
Volume | 2680 |
Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- Natural language pragmatics
- Natural language semantics
- Natural language understanding