A game-theoretical analysis of definites and indefinites  

Oleh:

Okabe, Ryoya

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Sophia Linguistica no. 54 (2006), page 129-150.

Ketersediaan

Perpustakaan PKBB Nomor Panggil: 405/SOL/54 Non-tandon: tidak ada Tandon: 1

Lihat Detail Induk

Isi artikel

From a semantic viewpoint, a definite NP (like the man) and its indefinite correlate (a man) are compatible with the same set of situations. A definite NP may be used to refer to a new object by the mechanism of accommodation. Conversely, it may be misleading, but not a lie, to use an indefinite NP when the referent is an object already known to the hearer. To explain the differences between definite and indefinite NPs, I propose a game-theoretic analysis of the choice between these forms. It is argued that the utility of an utterance is its informativity minus its cost. Assuming that definite forms that trigger an unestablished presupposition is costly, it is shown that the best strategy is to use a definite NP to refer to an old object.

Opini Anda

Klik untuk menuliskan opini Anda tentang koleksi ini!

Kembali