Distribution and Inference: What Philosophical and Computational Semantics can Learn from Each Other

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985955%3A_____%2F16%3A00463407" target="_blank" >RIV/67985955:_____/16:00463407 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Distribution and Inference: What Philosophical and Computational Semantics can Learn from Each Other

Original language description

Distribution of a word across contexts has proved to be a very useful approximation of the word's meaning. This paper reflects on the recent attempts to enhance distributional (or vector space) semantics of words with meaning composition, in particular with Fregean compositionality. I discuss the nature and performance of distributional semantic representations and argue against the thesis that semantics is in some sense identical with distribution (which seems to be a strong assumption of the compositional efforts). I propose instead that distribution is merely a reflection of semantics, and a substantially imperfect one. That raises some doubts regarding the very idea of obtaining semantic representations for larger wholes (phrases, sentences) by combining the distributional representations of particular items. In any case, I reject the generally unquestioned assumption that formal semantics provides a good theory of semantic composition, which it would be desirable to combine with distributional semantics (as a theory that is highly successful on the lexical field). I suggest that a positive alternative to the strong reading of the distributional hypothesis can be seen in the philosophy of inferentialism with respect to language meaning. I argue that the spirit of inferentialism is reasonably compatible with the current practice of distributional semantics, and I discuss the motivations for as well as the obstacles in the way of implementing the philosophical position in a computational framework.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

AA - Philosophy and religion

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/GA13-21076S" target="_blank" >GA13-21076S: Foundations of logic in the light of new results of philosophy and science</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Organon F

ISSN

1335-0668

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

23

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

SK - SLOVAKIA

Number of pages

25

Pages from-to

299-323

UT code for WoS article

000384511700002

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-84994155151