Possibilities and Impossibilities of Meaning: A Study in Semantics

Language is dependent on itself for a description of its semantics & is used to discuss the domain of discourse, which is relative to individuals and cultures. As what is constant in the domain of discourse is the fact that its entities are interconnected by characteristic functions, the logician theorizes regarding these functions. An argument is developed for the functional aspect of cognition by applying alethic logic (tense logic in combination with modal logic) to provide a formal-semantic concept of relativism. Jackendoff's (2003) concept of 'f-mind' is discussed with regard to its constitution of necessary conditions and as a construct of social reality, and is seen as reflecting the shifting contingencies of our existence. It is contended that linguistic meaning, in order to be coherent, must be grounded in the deterministic elements of nature and the mind, such as mechanism, embodiment, and grounded cognition. J. Hitchcock