Discovery Seminar UE141 PP– Spring 2009 Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking Introduction to ‘meaning’ January 29, 2009 Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA

Homework of last week What would it mean to say: ‘X kills Y’ ‘X killed Y’ ‘X killed Y at time t1’ ‘Y was killed’ ‘Y was killed by X’ ‘Y was killed by X at time t1’ ‘Y was killed by X at time t2’ Explain first what you understand by ‘meaning’. Then use this to explain what ‘killing’ means to you. Then use that meaning of ‘killing’ to explain the meaning of each of the sentences above using only ONE scenario, perhaps by stating that under your definition of ‘killing’ some sentences are non-sensical. Send me your answer in PowerPoint by email (ceusters@buffalo.edu) not later than January 27, 10 PM, Answers should include reference to or citations from any source or document that you used to formulate an answer

Hints given Word Sentence Definition Meaning Semantic triangle Denotation Reference Reality Belief Representation

Students’ meanings for ‘meaning’ (1) S3: - to be the cause that creates effects S13: - the implied importance and significance of an action or expression (the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form) S2: - what something stands for or actually is S6: - the definition of something and how one chooses to interpret it. - how someone chooses to express something S5: - the literal understanding of a word; how someone interprets a word and therefore how they use it. S14: - something that is conveyed or implied

Students’ meanings for ‘meaning’ (2) These three understood the hint ‘semantic triangle’ S1: - meaning do not lie in words; they lie in people. A word means whatever you intended for it to mean S7: - that which adequately describes, represents, or explains the essential nature or intrinsic value of some thought or concept developed by humankind which ultimately refers to an action or object currently in existence or theorized to exist somewhere in the universe at any given time S9: - the interpretation of a word or object that is understood by an individual, not necessarily the dictionary definition of a word.

Standard Semiotic/Semantic Triangle

Standard Semiotic/Semantic Triangle Useful, but nevertheless wrong !

Useful to build multi-lingual dictionaries Concept ‘cat’ cat chat kat Katze …

Problem: several interpretations of the Semiotic/Semantic triangle Reference: Concept / Sense / Model / View / Partition Sign: Language/ Term/ Symbol Referent: Reality/ Object

Aristotle’s triadic meaning model Words spoken are signs or symbols (symbola) of affections or impressions (pathemata) of the soul (psyche); written words (graphomena) are the signs of words spoken (phoné). As writing (grammatta), so also is speech not the same for all races of men. But the mental affections themselves, of which these words are primarily signs (semeia), are the same for the whole of mankind, as are also the objects (pragmata) of which those affections are representations or likenesses, images, copies (homoiomata). Aristotle, 'On Interpretation', 1.16.a.4-9, Translated by Cooke & Tredennick, Loeb Classical Library, William Heinemann, London, UK, 1938. pathema semeia  gramma/ phoné pragma

Richards’ semantic triangle understanding my your understanding reference Reference (“concept”): “indicates the realm of memory where recollections of past experiences and contexts occur”. Hence: as with Aristotle, the reference is “mind-related”: thought. But: not “the same for all”, rather individual mind-related symbol referent

Don’t confuse with homonymy ! mole (skin lesion) R3 mole (unit) R2 mole (animal) R1 “mole”

Different thoughts Homonymy symbol referent understanding One concept of x understanding of y R1 R2 R3 mole “skin lesion” mole “unit” “mole” mole “animal”

And by the way, synonymy... the Aristotelian view Richards’ view “sweat” “sweat” “perspiration” “perspiration”

Frege’s view sense name reference “sense” is an objective feature of how words are used and not a thought or concept in somebody’s head 2 names with the same reference can have different senses 2 names with the same sense have the same reference (synonyms) a name with a sense does not need to have a reference (“Beethoven’s 10th symphony”) name reference (=referent)

The alternative: the semantic triangle revisited Representation and Reference First Order Reality concepts about terms concepts objects terms

Terminology Realist Ontology Representation and Reference concepts terms representational units universals particulars about objects First Order Reality

Terminology Realist Ontology Representation and Reference concepts terms representational units about objects universals particulars First Order Reality

Terminology Realist Ontology Representation and Reference representational units concepts terms cognitive units communicative units about objects universals particulars First Order Reality

Three levels of reality in Realist Ontology Terminology Realist Ontology Representation and Reference Representational units in various forms about (1), (2) or (3) representational units cognitive units communicative units (2) Cognitive entities which are our beliefs about (1) (1) Entities with objective existence which are not about anything universals particulars First Order Reality