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Intention, interpretation and the computational structure of language
Author(s) -
Stone Matthew
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1207/s15516709cog2805_7
Subject(s) - computer science , interpretation (philosophy) , conversation , bridging (networking) , meaning (existential) , semantic interpretation , symbol (formal) , linguistics , simple (philosophy) , natural language , cognition , natural language processing , cognitive science , artificial intelligence , natural language understanding , psychology , epistemology , programming language , computer network , philosophy , neuroscience , psychotherapist
I show how a conversational process that takes simple, intuitively meaningful steps may be understood as a sophisticated computation that derives the richly detailed, complex representations implicit in our knowledge of language. To develop the account, I argue that natural language is structured in a way that lets us formalize grammatical knowledge precisely in terms of rich primitives of interpretation. Primitives of interpretation can be correctly viewed intentionally, as explanations of our choices of linguistic actions; the model therefore fits our intuitions about meaning in conversation. Nevertheless, interpretations for complex utterances can be built from these primitives by simple operations of grammatical derivation. In bridging analyses of meaning at semantic and symbol‐processing levels, this account underscores the fundamental place for computation in the cognitive science of language use.