| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
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| Research Abstract |
We proposed to analyze referring expressions such as noun phrases, pronouns and demonstratives as well as anaphora referring to them in discourse from a pragmatic view point. In 2002, we focused on the semantics of French indefinite noun phrases in generic interpretation. Traditionally, noun phrases have been analyzed as existential expressions ; but this view is unable to explain generic reading of indefinite noun phases. We posited that the existential force does not reside in noun phrases themselves, but it is induced through quantification over spatio-temporal variables defined by events which include the referents of indefinite noun phrases. In fact, the referent of an indefinite noun phrase is properly located in discourse when it receives the interpretation corresponding to ∃s∃x[N(x,s)∧P(x,s)], where s represents a spatio-temporal variable and N, a noun, and P, a stage-level predicate. Thus the generic reading of an indefinite noun phrase is obtained though generic quantificatio
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n over situations containing the referent of the noun phrase. See Togo (2002)
In French, we have a generic sentence with an indefinte noun phrase in des N such as Des rosiers qu'on ne taille pas ne donnent pas de belles fleurs. This sentence is exceptional in that, normally, des N does not have generic reading. We proposed the following analysis : the relative clause (i.e. qu'on ne taille pas) introduces "situations", i.e. a set of spatio-temporal variables, and generic quantification over situations leads to the generic reading. See Mori & Togo (2004)
It is well known that the problem of reference is a crucial one in copular sentences. Our research is based on the assumption that the traditional formal semantics is insufficient to handle the problems of nominal reference. There are several reasons to think so. First, formal semantics is not cumulative, and second, we believe that pragmatics factors such as speaker, hearer and knowledge that they are in possession at the time of speech are necessary. We have been proposing a "Discourse Model Theory" including these factors. We analyzed the problems of copular sentences and pointed out that tradional theory is especially insufficient when one analyses the so-called "indentiflying sentences" such as "That man is the captain of this ship". In order to handle this type of copular sentence, it is necessary to take into account mutual knowledge of the speaker and the hearer. Less
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