The Ontology of Language ─ Properties, Individuals and Discourse

How can the meaning of language be represented by formal logic? Similar research regarding the semantics of natural language has suggested that standard, 'classical' logical systems must be extended to account for the meaning of pronouns and other nominal expressions. But Chris Fox argues that by reconsidering how natural language in a formal logic is represented, the extension of classical logical systems is not required.

The Ontology of Language explores how semantic issues can be addressed in a way that minimizes the ontological commitments of the resulting semantics. The book works within a version of Property Theory stemming from a combination of the lambda calculus with Aczel's Frege structures-a combination originally developed by Raymond Turner. Fox then improves on this version and substantially extends it with original applications to plurals and mass nouns, to 'intensional individuals', and to the dynamics of discourse. Some useful appendixes on further extensions and alternatives are included.