A quasiGramscian divertissement on logic and language
Keywords:
Logic vs. Syntax, Analyticity, Ungrammaticality, Semantics vs. Pragmatics, Gramscian Linguistics
Abstract
This note focuses on the interaction between logic and grammar and discusses whether logical rules are irrelevant for syntactic formation. Classical evidence for the independence of syntax from logic comes from the acceptability of analytic propositions. Based on this piece of evidence, various authors in traditional discussions pronounced that language is illogical. This note focuses instead on two ways to oppose such pronouncements. In Gramscian linguistics, one can maintain that language is not illogical by broadening the notion of language one adopts. In an alternative account we submit, one can oppose those pronouncements by restricting the notion of analyticity which is assumed to be relevant for syntactic formation.
References
Abrusan, Marta (2019), «Semantic anomaly, pragmatic infelicity, and ungrammaticality», in Annual Review of Linguistics, vol. 5, n. 1, pp. 329-351.
Bar-Hillel, Yehoshua (1954), «Logical syntax and semantics», in Language, vol. 30, n. 2, pp. 230-237.
Bar-Hillel, Yehoshua(1957), «Husserl’s conception of a purely logical grammar», in Philos-ophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 362-369.
Barwise, Jon, Cooper, Robin (1981), «Generalized quantifiers and natural language», in Linguistics and philosophy, vol. 4, pp. 159-219.
Bolzano, Bernard (1837), Wissenschaftslehre, Seidel, Sulzbach.
Carnap, Rudolf (1934), Logische Syntax der Sprache, Springer, Wien.
Chierchia, Gennaro (2013), Logic in Grammar, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Chierchia, Gennaro (forthcoming), On being trivial, in Sagi, Gil, Woods, Jack, eds, The Seman-tic Conception of Logic: Essays on Consequence, Invariance, and Meaning, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Chierchia, Gennaro, McConnell-Ginet, Sally, (2000), Meaning and grammar: An introduction to semantics, MIT press, Cambridge MA.
Chomsky, Noam (1955), «Logical syntax and semantics: Their linguistic relevance», in Language, vol. 31, n. 1, pp. 36-45.
Chomsky, Noam (1957), Syntactic structures, Mouton & Co, The Hague-Paris.
Chomsky, Noam (1967), The formal nature of language, in Lenneberg, Eric Heinz, Biological foundations of language, John Wiley & sons, New York, pp. 397-442.
Cimatti, Felice (2016), La tradizione italiana, in Cimatti, Felice, Piazza, Francesca, a cura di, Filosofie del linguaggio, Roma, Carocci, pp. 163-182.
Croce, Benedetto (1905), «Questa tavola rotonda è quadrata», in La Critica, vol. 3, pp. 531-534.
De Mauro, Tullio (1965), Introduzione alla semantica, Laterza, Roma.
Del Pinal, Guillermo (2019), «The logicality of language: A new take on triviality, “un-grammaticality”, and logical form», in Noûs, vol. 53, n. 4, pp. 785-818.
Del Pinal, Guillermo (forthcoming), «The logicality of language: Contextualism vs. semantic minimalism», in Mind.
von Fintel, Kai (1993)«Exceptive constructions» in Natural Language Semantics, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 123–148.
Fox, Danny, Hackl, Martin, (2006), «The universal density of measurement», in Linguistics and Philosophy, vol. 29, n. 5, pp. 537-586.
Gajewski, Jon (2002), On analyticity in natural language, Manuscript, University of Connect-icut.
Gajewski, Jon (2008), «NPI any and connected exceptive phrases», in Natural Language Semantics, vol. 16, n. 1, pp. 69-110.
Gramsci, Antonio (1975), Quaderni del carcere, vol. III, Einaudi, Torino.
Grice, Paul (1989), Studies in the way of words, Harvard University Press, Harvard.
Husserl, Edmund (1901), Logische Untersuchungen, Max Niemeyer, Halle.
Mill, John Stuart (1878), An examination of Sir William Hamilton’s philosophy, Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, London.
Pistoia-Reda, Salvatore, Sauerland, Uli, (2021), «Analyticity and modulation», in Interna-tional Review of Pragmatics, vol. 13, n. 1, pp. 1-13.
Pistoia-Reda, Salvatore, San Mauro, Luca, (forthcoming), «On logicality and natural logic», in Natural Language Semantics.
Quine, Willard Van Orman (1936), Truth by convention, in Lee, Otis H., ed., Philosophical Essays for A. N. Whitehead, Longmans, New York, pp. 90-124.
Sauerland, Uli (2014), «Making fuzzy logic work for language», in Semantics and Philosophy in Europe, vol. 7.
Sen, Amartya (2003), «Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci», in Journal of economic literature, vol. 41, n. 4, pp. 1240-1255.
Steinthal, Heymann (1855), Grammatik, Logik, und Psychologie: Ihre Principien und ihr Ver-hältniss zueinander, Dümmler, Berlin.
Bar-Hillel, Yehoshua (1954), «Logical syntax and semantics», in Language, vol. 30, n. 2, pp. 230-237.
Bar-Hillel, Yehoshua(1957), «Husserl’s conception of a purely logical grammar», in Philos-ophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 362-369.
Barwise, Jon, Cooper, Robin (1981), «Generalized quantifiers and natural language», in Linguistics and philosophy, vol. 4, pp. 159-219.
Bolzano, Bernard (1837), Wissenschaftslehre, Seidel, Sulzbach.
Carnap, Rudolf (1934), Logische Syntax der Sprache, Springer, Wien.
Chierchia, Gennaro (2013), Logic in Grammar, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Chierchia, Gennaro (forthcoming), On being trivial, in Sagi, Gil, Woods, Jack, eds, The Seman-tic Conception of Logic: Essays on Consequence, Invariance, and Meaning, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Chierchia, Gennaro, McConnell-Ginet, Sally, (2000), Meaning and grammar: An introduction to semantics, MIT press, Cambridge MA.
Chomsky, Noam (1955), «Logical syntax and semantics: Their linguistic relevance», in Language, vol. 31, n. 1, pp. 36-45.
Chomsky, Noam (1957), Syntactic structures, Mouton & Co, The Hague-Paris.
Chomsky, Noam (1967), The formal nature of language, in Lenneberg, Eric Heinz, Biological foundations of language, John Wiley & sons, New York, pp. 397-442.
Cimatti, Felice (2016), La tradizione italiana, in Cimatti, Felice, Piazza, Francesca, a cura di, Filosofie del linguaggio, Roma, Carocci, pp. 163-182.
Croce, Benedetto (1905), «Questa tavola rotonda è quadrata», in La Critica, vol. 3, pp. 531-534.
De Mauro, Tullio (1965), Introduzione alla semantica, Laterza, Roma.
Del Pinal, Guillermo (2019), «The logicality of language: A new take on triviality, “un-grammaticality”, and logical form», in Noûs, vol. 53, n. 4, pp. 785-818.
Del Pinal, Guillermo (forthcoming), «The logicality of language: Contextualism vs. semantic minimalism», in Mind.
von Fintel, Kai (1993)«Exceptive constructions» in Natural Language Semantics, vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 123–148.
Fox, Danny, Hackl, Martin, (2006), «The universal density of measurement», in Linguistics and Philosophy, vol. 29, n. 5, pp. 537-586.
Gajewski, Jon (2002), On analyticity in natural language, Manuscript, University of Connect-icut.
Gajewski, Jon (2008), «NPI any and connected exceptive phrases», in Natural Language Semantics, vol. 16, n. 1, pp. 69-110.
Gramsci, Antonio (1975), Quaderni del carcere, vol. III, Einaudi, Torino.
Grice, Paul (1989), Studies in the way of words, Harvard University Press, Harvard.
Husserl, Edmund (1901), Logische Untersuchungen, Max Niemeyer, Halle.
Mill, John Stuart (1878), An examination of Sir William Hamilton’s philosophy, Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, London.
Pistoia-Reda, Salvatore, Sauerland, Uli, (2021), «Analyticity and modulation», in Interna-tional Review of Pragmatics, vol. 13, n. 1, pp. 1-13.
Pistoia-Reda, Salvatore, San Mauro, Luca, (forthcoming), «On logicality and natural logic», in Natural Language Semantics.
Quine, Willard Van Orman (1936), Truth by convention, in Lee, Otis H., ed., Philosophical Essays for A. N. Whitehead, Longmans, New York, pp. 90-124.
Sauerland, Uli (2014), «Making fuzzy logic work for language», in Semantics and Philosophy in Europe, vol. 7.
Sen, Amartya (2003), «Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci», in Journal of economic literature, vol. 41, n. 4, pp. 1240-1255.
Steinthal, Heymann (1855), Grammatik, Logik, und Psychologie: Ihre Principien und ihr Ver-hältniss zueinander, Dümmler, Berlin.
Published
2021-07-20
How to Cite
Pistoia-Reda, S. (2021) “A quasiGramscian divertissement on logic and language”, Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio, 15(1). doi: 10.4396/2021060V3.
Section
VARIA
Works published in RIFL are released under Creative Commons Licence:Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
