Lexical Competence (Language, Speech, and Communication)

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Lexical Competence (Language, Speech, and Communication)

What does our ability to use words--that is, our lexical competence--consist of? What is the difference between a system that can be said to understand language and one that cannot? Most approaches to word meaning fail to account for an essential aspect of our linguistic competence, namely, our ability to apply words to the world. This monograph proposes a dual picture of human lexical competence in which inferential and referential abilities are separate--a proposal confirmed by neuropsychological research on brain- damaged persons. According to the author, artificial systems for natural-language understanding could come much closer to achieving their goal if they conformed to this dual picture of competence. Topics discussed include classical issues in the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind such as the analytic/synthetic dichotomy, semantic holism, causal theories of reference, dual-factor theories, publicness, verificationism, and Searles Chinese room.Language, Speech, Communication series.

Table of contents :
Cover......Page 1
Language, Speech, and Communication......Page 3
Title......Page 4
ISBN......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Introduction......Page 15
1 The Bothersome Issue of Lexical Meaning......Page 21
2 The Delimitation of Inferential Meaning......Page 43
3 On the Structure of Lexical Competence......Page 71
4 Competence and "Objective" Reference......Page 91
5 Semantic Normativity......Page 129
6 Referentially Competent Systems......Page 147
Notes......Page 175
References......Page 201
Index......Page 211