23 November: DCLRS begins Nov 27 4pm UCD -- Nissim Francez

Dublin Computational Linguistics Research Seminar: Index of November 2009 | Dublin Computational Linguistics Research Seminar - Index of year: 2009 | Full index

The first in the 2009-2010 series of the Dublin Computational Linguistics
Research Seminar
will take place on Friday 27 November.

All are welcome to attend.

Time: 4pm
Location: Room B1.09, School of Computer Science and Informatics, UCD

Speaker:
Professor Nissim Francez
Technion University, Israel
Visiting Professor, Trinity College Dublin

Title: A proof-theoretical semantics for a fragment of natural language

Abstract:
The paper presents a proof-theoretic semantics (PTS) for a fragment of
natural language, providing an alternative to the traditional
model-theoretic (Montegovian) semantics (MTS), whereby meanings are
truth-condition (in arbitrary models). Instead, meanings are taken as
derivability-conditions in a ``dedicated'' natural-deduction (ND)
proof-system. This semantics is effective (algorithmically decidable),
adhering to the ``meaning as use'' paradigm, not suffering from
several of the criticisms formulated by philosophers of language
against MTS as a theory of meaning. In particular, Dummett's
manifestation argument does not obtain, and assertions are always
warranted, having grounds of assertion. The proof system is shown to
satisfy Dummett's harmony property, justifying the ND rules as meaning
conferring. The semantics is suitable for incorporation into
computational linguistics grammars, formulated in type-logical
grammar.

Thank you to CNGL and to UCD CSI for support given to the DCLRS series.
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Dublin Computational Linguistics Research Seminar - Index of November 2009 | Index of year: 2009 | Full index