Philosophy of syntax. Foundational topics (Q659460)

The main theme of this book concerns some central issues towards developing a general theory of syntax interpreted as a reference tool for providing an interconnection between natural language and non-linguistic reality. The author characterizes his intention as a uniform description of language, especially overall organization and architecture of grammar and its connection with semantics. The book consist of a short introductory chapter, two main chapters, ``Syntax'' and ``Semantics'', one chapter on ``Categorial analysis'', and a conclusion. In the introduction, the author presents some methodological issues concerning an epistemological background of the problem of syntax, as well as a demarcation between logic and linguistics as different tools in language investigations. It is claimed that a proper balance between logical aspects of natural language and vernacular usage is crucial for any reliable theory of syntax and semantics. The chapter on syntax presents a foundational discussion of categorial grammar. This discussion is leaned heavily on work by Ajdukiewicz, involving core notion such as ``functoriality principle'', ``semantic category'', ``syntactic position'' and some others. In particular, the following discrimination between three levels of the functoriality principle is important for the whole conception developed in the present book: (a) the level of syntactic positions of expressions, depending of their syntactic function in a given compound expression, (b) the level of semantic categories of expressions, and (c) the level of ontological categories of expressions' designations. In the chapter on semantics, the author outlines a semantical conception that can match the syntactic requirements introduced in Chapter 2. The author concentrates on ostensive procedures of language acquisition stressing that ostensive meanings are indispensable for the semantics of not only simple primitive names, but of compound names and sentences as well. In this view the chapter presents a discussion of the problems of ostensive meanings of sentences, semantic entailments and ambiguity of nominalization. Chapter 4 summarizes an investigation into some central principles which ought to be followed in a categorial analysis of the syntax of expressions. The main one among these principles is that any syntactical theory should readily show how to capture syntax of a sentence we are dealing with. The chapter provides directions for rational strategies of syntactic analysis of particular expressions and presents ways of solving or neutralizing some pragmatic problems which prevent the syntactic reconstruction of an expression. The main message of the book, it is claimed, is that categorial grammar is not only one of the competing theories of syntax, but the most plausible framework for logical syntax of natural language.