Semantics 2.4-6 Flashcards
Proposition is made up of
subject and a predicate
Argument
any of the noun phrases in a clause that are related directly to the verb, typically the subject, direct object, and indirect object
Can predicates and arguments be true or false?
no
understanding a statement =
knowing what the world would be like if that proposition were true- so knowing the truth conditions
Entailment
If P is true then Q must be true
Paraphrase
P is true iff Q is true (so essentially are equal)
Contradiction
If p is true then Q is false
Love and devour are…
2 place predicates
give and persuade are
3 place predicates
sleep is
1 place predicate
Relationships between individuals can be
static or dynamic/ describing state or event
Agent
animate individual like Jeremy sang
Cause
The wind blew the slates off the roof
Patient
Jezz sang a song- affected object
Instrument
the key opened the lock- means with which an agent does something
Theme
the child goes down- object, location/ status change
Source
Michael left the monastery
Goal
end location of a theme
Benefactive
for/ because of something
Comitative
I went with Clive
Syntactic categories hierarchy
subject>DO>IDO>oblique
Semantic category hierarchy
Agent>experiencer>theme>patient>goal/location
Agents/ causes are always
subject (barring passive)
Patients are always
objects (barring passive)
