Semantics: Intensional approach to meaning Flashcards
intension and its time
inherent meaning
- -> meaning can be paraphrased
- -> not vary in time (short of semantic change)
extension and its time
old referent set
–> can vary in time
short of semantic change
not vary in time
President of the US
extension: Donald Trump
intension: elected head of the US government
bachelor
extension: set of men who ae unmarried
intenssion unmarried adult male human being
intensions can be often …
decomposed into semantic features to see similarities and differences
Which previous problems are solved now?
problem 1: meaning exist indepnedently of reference
problem 2: proper names have no intension but an extension
problem 3: meaning=intension
but what is extension
problem 4: different meanings (intensions) can be coupled with the same extension (set of reference)
what are the two attempts to define inherent meaning ?
1st: they are mental objects of images in the language user’s brain
2nd: they are mental objects
Criticsm: mental objects
image not general enough
not possible for abstract things
perks: mental concept
more abstract
constitutive features
can be clear cut or fuzzy
prototype semantics
