MIT OpenCourseWare http://ocw.mit.edu
24.973 Advanced Semantics
Spring 2009
For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms .

Homework 1
(1) believe w
=
λ p
λ x.B(x)(w) = p
Æ
Prove that 7 John believes it's raining and John believes it's windy 9 is a contradiction
(2) believe w
=
λ p
λ x.B(x)(w)
∩
p
≠
{ }
Æ
Igor's comment…
Class 17.02
(3) Three separate issues a. presupposition
Æ
"Frege is famous" / "Frege is smoking" b. intersective vs. restrictive adjectives
Æ
"pink elephant" / "small elephant" c. subject position vs. predicate position
Æ
"John thinks the man is a woman"
Class 18.02
(4) 7 modal p 9 talks about the actual world
7 John must leave 9 = the actual world w
0
is such that the Ashdown regulations as written in w
0
implies
that leaves
(5) must p may p w w
= 1 iff w is such that BLACK _ BOX (w)
⊆
p
= 1 iff w is such that
BLACK
_
BOX
(w)
∩
p
Æ
the context supplies the content of BLACK _ BOX
≠
{ }
(6) context & assignment function
[must f] John leave w,g
= 1 iff w is such that f w,g
(w)
⊆
[
λ w'. John leave w'
]
(7) What we know when we speak
ƒ the content of g
ƒ the intension of 7 must 9 , 7 John 9 , 7 leave 9
(8) context = subpart of the real world what's wrong with the following?
[must p] q w
= 1 iff w is such that p = {…} and p
→
q
(9) John might have to leave w,g
= 1 iff…