Denotation relates word or phrase to world part, aspect, or situation {reference, semantics}. All languages refer to things and events. Different symbolic representations can use different languages [Black, 1962] [Butterfield, 1986] [Chomsky, 2000] [Deacon, 1997] [Fodor and Lepore, 1992] [Fodor, 1975] [Fodor, 1987] [Fodor, 1990] [Fodor, 1994] [Geschwind and Levitsky, 1972] [Gunderson, 1975] [Lakoff, 1987] [Loewer and Rey, 1991] [Millikan, 1984] [Millikan, 1993] [Pinker, 1997] [Peacocke, 1983] [Pinker, 2002] [Rey, 1991] [Rey, 1993].
Demonstratives {demonstrative} involving perception have no direct reference or sense to another person. Demonstratives involving first person have direct reference and sense to person. Demonstratives involving second persons, third persons, or objects require sense to determine meaning.
Contexts, words, or phrases have references {intension, semantics}| {intensionality}. Intensional things do not have to be true or exist. In languages {intensional language}, extension can fail, because context does not allow identical sets to substitute. Contexts, words, or phrases also have sense or meaning.
Children learn difference between "you" and "I" and so self {person, semantics}. Children learn about themselves by understanding their relations to other things, not just by association, imitation, or frequency.
Dani (New Guinea) has two colors {color words}: black-blue-green {cool color} and white-red-yellow {warm color}. Languages can have three colors: black, white, and red-yellow. Languages can have four colors: black, blue-green, white, and red-yellow. English has black, brown, purple (violet), blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, white, and gray. Russian has black, brown, purple (violet), blue, light blue {goluboy}, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, white, and gray. There is no known physiological basis for these categories.
References can be about signals that bring referent to mind without causing response {conceptual reference, semantics}, such as category words.
References can be about signals that imitate referent {mimetic reference, semantics}, such as same sounds.
References can be about signals that indicate sign {proxy reference, semantics}, such as alarm calls.
Objects and events {token, semantics} can persist over time, cause phenomena, and be category members. Tokens refer to category, show category-member uses, and define category. Tokens referring to physical objects have many predicates.
Tokens of "I" refer to whoever produced them {token-reflexive rule}. "I" produces both word "I" and concept "I". References of tokens of "I" refer to token, so token-reflexives cannot identify persons.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225