Documentation

Linglib.Theories.Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Dayal2004

Type-shifting operations from @cite{partee-1987} / @cite{dayal-2004}.

These convert between semantic types:

  • ∩ (down/cap): Property → Kind (nominalization)
  • ι (iota): Property → Individual (definite description)
  • ∃ (exists): Property → GQ (existential quantification)
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      Meaning Preservation Ranking (@cite{dayal-2004}: 408)

      {∩, ι} > ∃

      The key insight: ∩ and ι both preserve the full semantic content of the property, while ∃ introduces existential quantification that "loses" some information.

      ∩P preserves P's intension (the full function from worlds to extensions) ιP preserves P's intension (picks unique satisfier per world) ∃P only preserves existence of some satisfier (loses identity)

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        Type shifts with equal rank are equally preferred

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          t1 is more preferred than t2 if it has lower rank

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            Instantiation set of a kind at a world.

            The instantiation set is the collection of actual instances of the kind. For "dog-kind" at world w, this is the set of all dogs in w.

            Key insight: Number morphology constrains the instantiation set:

            • Singular: instantiation set is singleton OR inaccessible
            • Plural: instantiation set has multiple accessible members

            For computational purposes, we represent this abstractly.

            • count :

              Count of instances (0 = empty, 1 = singleton, >1 = multiple)

            • accessible : Bool

              Whether instances are "accessible" (epistemically available)

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                  Accessibility of instantiation sets.

                  An instantiation set is "inaccessible" when:

                  1. The kind is extinct (no actual instances exist)
                  2. The instances are not salient/distinguishable in context
                  3. The kind is treated as atomic (collective reading)

                  Inaccessible instantiation sets allow singular morphology even for kinds with "conceptually plural" members.

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                    Number feature on nominals.

                    Key insight from Dayal: Number is NOT about semantic plurality vs singularity. It's about whether the instantiation set is conceptualized as:

                    • Atomic/unitary (singular)
                    • Non-atomic/multiple (plural)
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                        License for singular morphology on kinds.

                        • singleton : SingularLicense

                          Singleton instantiation set (unique in context)

                        • inaccessible : SingularLicense

                          Inaccessible instantiation set (extinct, collective)

                        • taxonomic : SingularLicense

                          Taxonomic reading (sub-kinds, not individuals)

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                            Singular Kinds (@cite{dayal-2004}: 411-423)

                            Grammatically singular but denoting kinds:

                            • "The lion is a predator" (taxonomic)
                            • "The dodo is extinct" (no living instances)
                            • "The computer has revolutionized communication" (collective)

                            These are possible when the instantiation set is:

                            1. Singleton (unique species/type in context)
                            2. Inaccessible (extinct, conceptualized as atomic)

                            The ι operator applies to KIND-LEVEL properties, not individual-level.

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                                Taxonomic readings (@cite{dayal-2004}: 426-433)

                                Common nouns can denote:

                                1. Properties of INDIVIDUALS: dog(x) = "x is a dog individual"
                                2. Properties of SUB-KINDS: dog(k) = "k is a dog sub-kind"

                                Example: "The dog evolved from the wolf"

                                • Individual reading: Some specific dog evolved (anomalous)
                                • Taxonomic reading: Dog-kind evolved from wolf-kind (natural)

                                The taxonomic reading treats sub-kinds as the "atoms" of predication.

                                • individual : CNDenotation

                                  Property of individuals: λx. P(x)

                                • taxonomic : CNDenotation

                                  Property of sub-kinds: λk. P(k) where k ranges over sub-kinds

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                                    When a CN has a taxonomic reading, "the CN" can be singular even when the kind has multiple sub-kinds.

                                    "The dog" (taxonomic) = ιk[dog-kind(k)] where k ranges over basic-level kinds

                                    The uniqueness is at the TAXONOMIC level (one dog-kind), not the instance level.

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                                      Taxonomic hierarchy: kinds can have sub-kinds.

                                      "Dogs" can mean:

                                      • All dog individuals (individual reading)
                                      • All dog breeds (taxonomic reading)

                                      The taxonomic reading explains why some kind-level predicates work with "the NP" even when there are many instances.

                                      • superKind : String

                                        The super-kind

                                      • subKinds : List String

                                        Sub-kinds (breeds, species, etc.)

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                                          Type-shift availability given number and blocking.

                                          Dayal's system: type-shifts are constrained by:

                                          1. Meaning preservation ranking: prefer ∩/ι over ∃
                                          2. Number morphology: sg requires singleton/inaccessible instantiation
                                          3. Blocking: overt D blocks covert equivalent
                                          4. ∩ definedness: requires kind-compatible property
                                          • number : NumberFeature

                                            Number feature on the NP

                                          • downDefined : Bool

                                            Is ∩ defined (is this a kind-compatible property)?

                                          • iotaBlocked : Bool

                                            Is ι blocked by an overt definite article?

                                          • existsBlocked : Bool

                                            Is ∃ blocked by an overt indefinite article?

                                          • instantiationAccessible : Bool

                                            Is the instantiation set accessible?

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                                              Available type-shifts given context.

                                              Returns shifts in preference order (most preferred first).

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                                                Select the best available type-shift.

                                                Follows Meaning Preservation: choose highest-ranked available shift.

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                                                  Language-specific parameters for kind reference (@cite{dayal-2004}: 433-445).

                                                  Languages differ in:

                                                  1. Whether they have definite/indefinite articles
                                                  2. Whether bare nominals can denote kinds
                                                  3. Whether singular kinds require "the"
                                                  • hasDefiniteArticle : Bool

                                                    Does this language have a definite article?

                                                  • hasIndefiniteArticle : Bool

                                                    Does this language have an indefinite article?

                                                  • bareKindsOK : Bool

                                                    Can bare nominals denote kinds (∩ unblocked)?

                                                  • definiteSingularKinds : Bool

                                                    Can singular kinds use "the"?

                                                  • definitePluralKinds : Bool

                                                    Can plural kinds use "the"?

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                                                      English kind reference:

                                                      • Bare plurals for kinds: "Dogs are mammals"
                                                      • "The" for singular kinds: "The lion is a predator"
                                                      • "The" for plural kinds is marked: ?"The dogs are mammals"
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                                                        Romance (French, Italian, Spanish) kind reference:

                                                        • Definite article required for kinds: "Les chiens sont des mammifères"
                                                        • Both singular and plural kinds use definite article
                                                        • Bare nominals restricted to special contexts
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                                                          Determiner-less languages (Hindi, Russian, Chinese) kind reference:

                                                          • Bare nominals freely denote kinds
                                                          • No definite/indefinite distinction in morphology
                                                          • All interpretations available in context
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                                                            German kind reference (intermediate):

                                                            • Bare plurals OK for kinds: "Hunde sind Säugetiere"
                                                            • Definite optional for plural/mass kinds
                                                            • Similar to English but with more flexibility
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                                                              DKP (Derived Kind Predication) - Dayal's version.

                                                              When an object-level predicate applies to a kind, introduce existential quantification over instances:

                                                              P(k) = ∃x[∪k(x) ∧ P(x)]

                                                              Key insight: DKP is only invoked when NECESSARY. If the predicate is kind-level, no coercion needed.

                                                              • kindLevel : PredicateType

                                                                Kind-level predicates: extinct, widespread, evolve

                                                              • objectLevel : PredicateType

                                                                Object-level predicates: bark, be in the garden

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                                                                  Why modification blocks singular kind reading:

                                                                  "The tall lion" cannot mean "the lion-kind" because:

                                                                  1. "Tall lion" does not denote a well-established kind
                                                                  2. Modification restricts the extension, breaking kind status
                                                                  3. ι must apply at object-level → definite description of individual
                                                                  • base : String

                                                                    Base noun (well-established kind)

                                                                  • modifier : String

                                                                    Modifier

                                                                  • stillKind : Bool

                                                                    Result is still a well-established kind?

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                                                                    Meaning preservation ranking is transitive

                                                                    theorem Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Dayal2004.english_bare_plural_uses_down :
                                                                    have ctx := { number := NumberFeature.pl, downDefined := true, iotaBlocked := true, existsBlocked := true, instantiationAccessible := true }; selectShift ctx = some TypeShift.down

                                                                    English bare plurals use ∩ (most preferred available shift)

                                                                    theorem Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Dayal2004.english_singular_kind_uses_iota :
                                                                    have ctx := { number := NumberFeature.sg, downDefined := false, iotaBlocked := false, existsBlocked := true, instantiationAccessible := false }; selectShift ctx = some TypeShift.iota

                                                                    English singular kinds use ι

                                                                    Convert Chierchia's BlockingPrinciple + noun info to Dayal's TypeShiftContext.

                                                                    This shows how Dayal's framework generalizes Chierchia's:

                                                                    • Chierchia: BlockingPrinciple + MassCount + isPlural → bare argument OK?
                                                                    • Dayal: TypeShiftContext → which type-shift is selected?
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                                                                      English-like blocking principle: has "the" and "a", so ι and ∃ blocked.

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                                                                        Dayal's framework is consistent with Chierchia's for English.

                                                                        When Chierchia predicts bare plurals are licensed (∩ defined and not blocked), Dayal's selectShift returns.down (the kind-forming shift).

                                                                        When ∩ is undefined (singular count) and ι/∃ are blocked (English), both frameworks predict bare singular is OUT.

                                                                        Dayal subsumes Chierchia: When a type-shift is available, selectShift finds it.

                                                                        Verified for the key cases via the concrete theorems above. The general pattern: selectShift returns Some iff at least one of:

                                                                        • ∩ is defined (bare plural/mass)
                                                                        • ι is not blocked
                                                                        • ∃ is not blocked

                                                                        Romance-like blocking: has definite article, so bare kinds need "the". But for kind reference, the definite is used (not blocked for that purpose).

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                                                                          theorem Semantics.Lexical.Noun.Kind.Dayal2004.meaning_preservation_derives_kind_preference :
                                                                          have ctx := { number := NumberFeature.pl, downDefined := true, iotaBlocked := true, existsBlocked := false, instantiationAccessible := true }; selectShift ctx = some TypeShift.down

                                                                          Meaning Preservation explains Chierchia's blocking.

                                                                          When both ∩ and ∃ are available, Dayal selects ∩ (more meaning-preserving). This derives Chierchia's observation that bare plurals prefer kind readings.

                                                                          Empirical Data #