next up previous contents index
Next: 7.6 Oblique Arguments Up: 7 Relations Previous: 7.4 Existential Entailment II   Contents   Index

7.5 Arguments and entailments

On the basis of consistency, we stated that the number of arguments of a logical predicate should always be the same. But we also want to correctly represent existential entailments.

This means that SOME verbs can't be translated with one predicate.

Wrong
Natasha kicked Boris.
$ {kick}(n,b)$
Natasha kicked.
$ \exists x \: kick(n,\: x)$
Right
Natasha kicked Boris.  
$ {kick/2}(n,b)$  
Natasha kicked. (Natasha could be doing a chorus line kick.)
   
$ {kick/1}(n)$  
Why \framebox{ $ \mathrm{\:Natasha \:}\begin{array}[t]{@{}l} \text{kicked.} \not \Rightarrow\\ \text{There exists something that Natasha kicked.} \end{array}$}

  Existential entailment  
John ate $ \Rightarrow$ John ate something.
John kicked $ \not\Rightarrow$ John kicked something.
John replied $ \Rightarrow$ John replied to something/someone.

next up previous contents index
Next: 7.6 Oblique Arguments Up: 7 Relations Previous: 7.4 Existential Entailment II   Contents   Index
Jean Mark Gawron 2009-02-16