On representationalism in semantics: a dynamic account of wh
The issue over whether natural-language (NL)
semantics involves a level of representation has
centred on anaphora, with arguments for a
representation of input variable replaced by a
substituend corresponding to content invariably
countered by model-theoretic alternatives. We
present wh phenomena as a case where once the
need of a weak specification of content is
granted, the interpretation of that input
involving a syntactic process of substitution is
uncontentious. We give an analysis which provides
a basis for a wh typology and use it as evidence
that, though interpretation of NL strings
requires a level of structure, this is the only
level of syntax required to characterise strings
and their interpretation.
Ruth Kempson, Wilfried Meyer-Viol and Dov Gabbay