Sources of Meaning: Grounding Formal Semantics

While formal semantics, the study of meaning, has established itself as a rigorous field, its impact on the broader cognitive sciences has remained suboptimal. Besides the inherent complexity of formal theories, the reason might be that the data explained are narrowly linguistic. We propose to extend the breadth and explanatory depth of formal semantic theories by testing them against understudied objects. Within language, we study spoken language gestures as well as sign languages, especially in their iconic dimension. Beyond language, we investigate primate gestural and vocal communication, and semantic effects in music. Our goal is threefold. First, we investigate how the typology of semantic operations extends to these new objects. Second, we explore the cognitive underpinnings of these operations in two types of cases: when the extension of a rule to a new type of object provides new constraints on the form of this rule (e.g. the existence of a presupposition triggering mechanism in iconic constructions); and when an expression has cognitive uses beyond language (e.g. raised eyebrows, or increased loudness). Third, we explore possible evolutionary connections among operations found in speech, sign, human and non-human gestures, and music. We will (i) explore gestural counterparts of formal semantic operations found in sign language, (ii) investigate how the rich typology of inferences uncovered by semantics extends to iconic gestures, and (iii) conduct a comparative investigation of this typology for iconic vs. non-iconic inferences in sign language. We will (iv) extend the enterprise beyond humans by exploring how a particular operation, implicatures, extends in animal linguistics, and whether human gestural expressions have counterparts in apes; and we will (v) develop a generalization of iconic semantics that accounts for semantic effects in music. Empirical findings will help develop new theories of how specific inferences (e.g. presuppositions, focus) are triggered.

(i) Sign language language semantics has been developed in two novel directions: (a) greater integration of iconic and formal semantics, including with a vagueness component; (b) use of game-theoretic methods inspired by the Rational Speech Act model (simplified) to account for the meanings of repetition-based plurals and of Brow Raise in ASL. In addition, the status of negative concord in sign language was investigated.
(ii) We conducted an innovative study of the grammar of gestures in spoken language, inspired by properties of sign language grammar.
(iii) We conducted a comparative study of presuppositions in iconic gestures and in iconic signs. This also led to the development of a new ‘triggering algorithm’ for presuppositions.
(iv) Project members contributed to the development of ‘primate linguistics’, e.g. in the study of Titi monkey calls. Project members also synthesized key ideas in ‘animal linguistics’ for a cross-disciplinary audience. In addition, we formally investigated the conditions under which general calls (which are a precondition for the emergence of ‘implicatures’ in primate communication) can be stable in evolution.
(v) We developed a semantics for music that borrows two key insights from other areas of ‘Super Semantis’: the idea that iconic forms, such as pictures and in our case music, can introduce logical variables; the observation that music that accompanies films or gifs has a non-at-issue status, and specifically triggers ‘cosuppositions’, just like co-speech gestures.
(vi) New theoretical ideas were developed as a result of the project, especially in the area of formal pragmatics (e.g. presupposition theory, implicature theory).

We expect project members and the PI to make further contributions along the lines of the initial summary in the areas of:
(i) sign language semantics, especially with respect to the integration of pictorial and logical semantics;
(ii) gesture semantics
(iii) theoretical semantics/pragmatics
(iv) animal linguistics
(v) music semantics

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ORISEM (Sources of Meaning: Grounding Formal Semantics)

Udostępnij tę stronę

Pobierz