Semantics Ch1

Question 1

semantic rules

Answer 1

word meaning
syntactic structure

Question 2

syntactic ambiguity

Answer 2

when the arrangement of words gives rise to two possible reading of a sentence

Question 3

lexical ambiguity

Answer 3

when there are multiple possible meanings of a words which allows for different readings of a sentence

Question 4

paraphrases

Answer 4

alternative readings of a phrase

Question 5

unambiguous paraphrases

Answer 5

alternative readings of a phrase that have one possible meaning only

Question 6

readings

Answer 6

understandings of the potential meanings of a phrase

Question 7

constituent

Answer 7

string of words

Question 8

compositionality

Answer 8

theory: the meaning of a sentence is determined by the words used as well as how they are combined

Question 9

Quantifier expression

Answer 9

every, all, some etc

Question 10

order of semantic rules

Answer 10

words + syntax –> semantic rules –> meaning

Question 11

grammar

Answer 11

semantic combined with syntactic rules

Question 12

truth conditions

Answer 12

the conditions under which a sentence can be deemed true

Question 13

truth values

Answer 13

true or false
truth conditions + facts about the world = truth value

Question 14

extensions

Answer 14

the entities that expressions stand for
eg horse - an entity
above - a relation
Ms Boyle - an individual

Question 15

entailment

Answer 15

when something is true because it is a more broad version of something else that is true

Question 16

synonymous

Answer 16

when the truth of one sentence means the other must be true also

Question 17

set elements

Answer 17

members of a set

Question 18

list notation

Answer 18

listing all the elements in a set in curly brackets

Question 19

singleton set

Answer 19

only one element in the set

Question 20

predicate definition/definition by condition

Answer 20

set notation often used to denote large or infinite sets
uses a letter from the end of the alphabet as a variable and after a colom states the condition on which the membership depends
{x: x lives in Dublin}

Question 21

iff

Answer 21

if and only if

Question 22

ordered pair

Answer 22

group of two element which must stay in specific order to be valid