PP-2003-20: The Categorial Fine-Structure of Natural Language

PP-2003-20: van Benthem, Johan (2003) The Categorial Fine-Structure of Natural Language. [Report]

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Abstract

Categorial grammar analyzes linguistic syntax and semantics in terms
of type theory and lambda calculus. A major attraction of this
approach is its unifying power, as its basic function/argument
structures occur across the foundations of mathematics, language and
computation. This paper considers, in a light example-based manner,
where this elegant logical paradigm stands when confronted with the
wear and tear of reality. Starting from a brief history of the Lambek
tradition since the 1980s, we discuss three main issues: (a) the fit
of the lambda calculus engine to characteristic semantic structures in
natural language, (b) the coexistence of the original type-theoretic
and more recent modal interpretations of categorial logics, and (c)
the place of categorial grammars in the complex total architecture of
natural language, which involves - amongst others - mixtures of
interpretation and inference.

Item Type:	Report
Report Nr:	PP-2003-20
Series Name:	Prepublication (PP) Series
Year:	2003
Uncontrolled Keywords:	categorial grammar, lambda calculus, type theory, monotonicity, modal logic, natural language, inference
Subjects:	Logic
Date Deposited:	12 Oct 2016 14:36
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2016 14:36
URI:	https://eprints.illc.uva.nl/id/eprint/104

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