WEEK 7 - Literal Menings and Definitions

Question 1

what does literal meaning mean ?

Answer 1

the literal meaning of a word is the meaning assigned to it by convention. (e.g., “bachelor” means unmarried man”)

Question 2

what are statements ?

Answer 2

are sentences or parts of sentences that assert that something is the case

Question 3

what are the three types of sentences ?

Answer 3

1. statements
2. interrogative sentences
3. imperative sentences

Question 4

what are interrogative sentences ?

Answer 4

sentences (or parts) that ask a question

Question 5

what are imperative sentences ?

Answer 5

sentences (or parts) that issue a command

Question 6

what does literal meaning of the word mean ?

Answer 6

the literal meaning of the word (e.g., “bachelor” means unmarried man”)

Question 7

what is conversational implicature ?

Answer 7

are implicatures that arise from a particular conversational context

Question 8

what does cancelling conversational implicatures mean ?

Answer 8

conversational implicatures can be cancelled

Question 9

what are definitions ?

Answer 9

Definitions are statements that specify the (literal) meaning of a term

Question 10

what is a definiendum ?

Answer 10

the term being defined

Question 11

the definiens ?

Answer 11

the words that define the definiendum (the definition)

Question 12

what are the two main kinds of definitions ?

Answer 12

reparative definition and stimulative definition

Question 13

what is a reportive definition ?

Answer 13

is a definition that reports a term’s existing meaning AKA “lexical definition” (ex . bachelor = unmarried man)

Question 14

what is stimulative definition ?

Answer 14

is a definition that assigns a meaning to a term (nostud = something that there is no need to study)

Question 15

when is a reporting definition correct ?

Answer 15

when its definiens captures the meaning of its definiendum (defined term)

Question 16

what are the two ways reparative definitions can be incorrect ?

Answer 16

1. they can be too broad
2. they can be too narrow

Question 17

what are two ways any definition can be inadequate ?

Answer 17

circulatory and obscurity

Question 18

what is premising definition ?

Answer 18

is a definition that attempts to precisify the meaning of a term

Question 19

what is persuasive definition ?

Answer 19

is a definition that attaches an emotive, positive, or derogatory connotation to a term when the term does not have such a connotation

Question 20

what is verbal disputed ?

Answer 20

is an apparent disagreement in which the parties agree on the relevant facts but use words differently

Question 21

what is a factual dispute ?

Answer 21

is a disagreement in which the parties disagree on a fact