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Generalizing Detached Self‐Reference and the Semantics of Generic One
Author(s) -
MOLTMANN FRIEDERIKE
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
mind and language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.905
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1468-0017
pISSN - 0268-1064
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0017.2010.01397.x
Subject(s) - semantics (computer science) , computer science , programming language , cognitive science , linguistics , mathematical economics , psychology , epistemology , philosophy , mathematics
In this paper I will give an analysis of what I call ‘generalizing detached self‐reference’ within a general account of reference to the first person. With generalizing detached self‐reference an agent attributes properties to a range of individuals by putting himself into their shoes, or simulating them. I will show that generalizing detached self‐reference plays an important role in the semantics of natural language, in particular in the English generic one and in what syntacticians call arbitrary PRO.