Strawson’s (1959) discussion of ‘subject and predicate’ examines the received view of the basis for distinguishing between the semantics of predicates and terms with reference to Frege’s (1997[1862]) distinction between objects and concepts.
Frege characterizes the distinction between A4s [terms] and B4s [predicates] by means of a metaphor. Objects, he says, are complete, concepts incomplete or unsaturated. “Not all parts of a thought can be complete; at least one must be ‘unsaturated’ or predicative; otherwise they would not hold together.” Of B2s [predicates] he says that it is only because their sense is unsaturated that they are capable of serving as a link. (1959: 152-153)
The idea that semantic predicates are unsaturated (to various degrees) and that this semantic incompleteness is made complete by composing them with semantically complete terms (of appropriate types) is fundamental to formal semantic analyses of natural language. It is the basis of Montague’s (1973) application of type theory in his classic PTQ analysis of English, where all predicative expressions are assigned functional types and the fundamental composition operation is function application.
Strawson’s discussion portrays the opposition between complete objects and incomplete concepts as a unifying theme that can be played out at the level of linguistic acts, linguistic categories, and propositional roles. He considers various approaches to the basis for this metaphor, noting
Strawson’s (1959) discussion of ‘subject and predicate’ examines the received view of the basis for distinguishing between the semantics of predicates and terms with reference to Frege’s (1997[1862]) distinction between objects and concepts.Frege characterizes the distinction between A4s [terms] and B4s [predicates] by means of a metaphor. Objects, he says, are complete, concepts incomplete or unsaturated. “Not all parts of a thought can be complete; at least one must be ‘unsaturated’ or predicative; otherwise they would not hold together.” Of B2s [predicates] he says that it is only because their sense is unsaturated that they are capable of serving as a link. (1959: 152-153)The idea that semantic predicates are unsaturated (to various degrees) and that this semantic incompleteness is made complete by composing them with semantically complete terms (of appropriate types) is fundamental to formal semantic analyses of natural language. It is the basis of Montague’s (1973) application of type theory in his classic PTQ analysis of English, where all predicative expressions are assigned functional types and the fundamental composition operation is function application.Strawson’s discussion portrays the opposition between complete objects and incomplete concepts as a unifying theme that can be played out at the level of linguistic acts, linguistic categories, and propositional roles. He considers various approaches to the basis for this metaphor, noting
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