June 23, 2000

Time:

4:30pm, June 23, 2000

Place:

3rd floor conference room, Building 10, University of Tokyo (Komaba campus)

Speaker:

Akihiro Yoshimitsu (Nagoya University)

Title:

A Dynamic Semntics for Vague Predicates

Abstract:

Since the mid-seventies supervaluationism has been applied to give a conservative semantics for vague predicates and to avoid the so-called sorites paradox (e.g., Fine (1975) and Kamp (1975)). As many opponents pointed out, however, this framework has something elusive and lacks any explanations for it. Dynamic samantics I present this time is intended to defend its elusiveness positively from an information-theorerical point of view (the original idea is based upon Pinkal (1984, 1985)). Thus the aim of this talk is to present a dynamic semantics for vague predicates as a revised version of supervaluationism and to discuss its advantages and disadvantages.