Abstract
In this paper two different thesis are defended. On one hand, it is argued that the compositionality principle is necessary in order to understand how natural languages work. Without the bottom-up compositional processes we would not be able to understand sentences we have never heard before. On the other hand, the radical interpretations of the compositionality principle are untenable: some features of natural languages can be accounted for only if the context determines the meaning of an element in a typical top-down process.
Translated title of the contribution | [Autom. eng. transl.] The statement as a system. The principle of compositionality and its limits |
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Original language | Italian |
Title of host publication | Strutture di mondo Il pensiero sistemico come specchio di una realtà complessa |
Editors | LUCIA ULIVI URBANI |
Pages | 155-173 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Compositionality
- Sentence
- System