X-Git-Url: http://lambda.jimpryor.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=lambda.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=topics%2F_week10_gsv.mdwn;h=f408648c23eeaace3ca3ca4e0ecd9e3012be44cf;hp=e971fe93d15b8f09cde4cbc48000b82cb214a569;hb=f4895699b6d5a76840479ef2149f055bfa02b471;hpb=b430b8ab71a7bfe996a8b34b570b4469afd73ca5 diff --git a/topics/_week10_gsv.mdwn b/topics/_week10_gsv.mdwn index e971fe93..f408648c 100644 --- a/topics/_week10_gsv.mdwn +++ b/topics/_week10_gsv.mdwn @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ - + [[!toc levels=2]] @@ -201,3 +201,315 @@ man. Show the following computations, where `i = (w,n,r,g)`: (w, n+2, r[x->n][y->n+1], g[n->b][n+1->b]) } +## Order and modality + +The final remaining update rule concerns modality: + + s[◊φ] = {i in s | s[φ] ≠ {}} + +This is a peculiar rule: a possibility `i` will survive update just in +case something is true of the information state `s` as a whole. That +means that either every `i` in `s` will survive, or none of them will. The +criterion is that updating `s` with the information in φ does not +produce the contradictory information state (i.e., `{}`). + +So let's explore what this means. GSV offer a contrast between two +discourses that differ only in the order in which the updates occur. +The fact that the predictions of the fragment differ depending on +order shows that the system is order-sensitive. + + 1. Alice isn't hungry. #Alice might be hungry. + +According to GSV, the combination of these sentences in this order is +`inconsistent', and they mark the second sentence with the star of +ungrammaticality. We'll say instead that the discourse is +gramamtical, leave the exact word to use for its intuitive effect up +for grabs. What is important for our purposes is to get clear on how +the fragment behaves with respect to these sentences. + +We'll start with an infostate containing two possibilities. In one +possibility, Alice is hungry (call this possibility "hungry"); in the +other, she is not (call it "full"). + + {hungry, full}[Alice isn't hungry][Alice might be hungry] + = {full}[Alice might be hungry] + = {} + +As usual in dynamic theories, a sequence of sentences is treated as if +the sentence were conjoined. This is the same thing as updating with +the first sentence, then updating with the second sentence. +Update with *Alice isn't hungry* eliminates the possibility in which +Alice is hungry (w1), leaving only the possibility containing w2. +Subsequent update with *Alice might be hungry* depends on the result +of updating with the prejacent, *Alice is hungry*. Let's do that side +calculation: + + {full}[Alice is hungry] + = {} + +Because the only possibility in the information state is one in which +Alice is not hungry, update with *Alice is hungry* results in an empty +information state. That means that update with *Alice might be +hungry* will also be empty, as indicated above. + +In order for update with *Alice might be hungry* to be non-empty, +there must be at least one possibility in the input state in which +Alice is hungry. That is what epistemic might means in this fragment: +the prejacent must be possible. But update with *Alice isn't hungry* +eliminates all possibilities in which Alice is hungry. So the +prediction of the fragment is that update with the sequence in (1) +will always produce an empty information state. + +In contrast, consider the sentences in the opposite order: + + 2. Alice might be hungry. Alice isn't hungry. + +We'll start with the same two possibilities. + + + = {hungry, full}[Alice might be hungry][Alice isn't hungry] + = {hungry, full}[Alice isn't hungry] + = {full} + +Update with *Alice might be hungry* depends on the result of updating +with the prejacent, *Alice is hungry*. Here's the side calculation: + + {hungry, full}[Alice is hungry] + = {hungry} + +Since this update is non-empty, all of the original possibilities +survive update with *Alice might be hungry*. By now it should be +obvious that update with a *might* sentence either has no effect, or +produces an empty information state. The net result is that we can +then go on to update with *Alice isn't hungry*, yielding an updated +information state that contains only possibilities in which Alice +isn't hungry. + +GSV comment that a single speaker couldn't possibly be in a position +to utter the discourse in (2). The reason is that in order for the +speaker to appropriately assert that Alice isn't hungry, that speaker +would have to possess knowledge (or sufficient justification, +depending on your theory of the norms for assertion) that Alice isn't +hungry. But if they know that Alice isn't hungry, they couldn't +appropriately assert *Alice might be hungry*, based on the predictions +of the fragment. + +Another view is that it can be acceptable to assert a sentence if it +is supported by the information in the common ground. So if the +speaker assumes that as far as the listener knows, Alice might be +hungry, they can utter the discourse in (2). Here's a variant that +makes this thought more vivid: + + 3. Based on public evidence, Alice might be hungry. But in fact she's not hungry. + +The main point to appreciate here is that the update behavior of the +discourses depends on the order in which the updates due to the +individual sentence occur. + +Note, incidentally, that there is an asymmetry in the fragment +concerning negation. + + 4. Alice might be hungry. Alice *is* hungry. + 5. Alice is hungry. (So of course) Alice might be hungry. + +Both of these discourses lead to the same update effect: all and only +those possibilites in which Alice is hungry survive. If you think +that asserting *might* requires that the prejacent be undecided, you +will have to consider an update rule for the diamond on which update +with the prejacent and its negation must both be non-empty. + +## Binding + +The GSV fragment differs from the DPL and the DMG dynamic semantics in +important details. Nevertheless, it has more or less the same things +to say about anaphora, binding, quantificational binding, and donkey +anaphora. + +In particular, continuing the theme of order-based asymmetries, + + 6. A man^x entered. He_x sat. + 7. He_x sat. A man^x entered. + +These discourses differ only in the order of the sentences. Yet the +first allows for coreference between the indefinite and the pronoun, +where the second discourse does not. In order to demonstrate, we'll +need an information state whose refsys is defined for at least one +variable. + + 8. {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])} + +This infostate contains a refsys and an assignment that maps the +variable x to Bob. Here are the facts in world w: + + w "enter" a = false + w "enter" b = true + w "enter" c = true + w "sit" a = true + w "sit" b = true + w "sit" c = false + +We can now consider the discourses in (6) and (7) (after magically +converting them to the Predicate Calculus): + + 9. Someone^x entered. He_x sat. + + {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])}[∃x.enter(x)][sit(x)] + + -- the existential adds a new peg and assigns it to each + -- entity in turn + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->a]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])}[enter(x)][sit(x)] + + -- "enter(x)" filters out the possibility in which x refers + -- to Alice, since Alice didn't enter + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])}[sit(x)] + + -- "sit(x)" filters out the possibility in which x refers + -- to Carl, since Carl didn't sit + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b])} + +Note that `r[x->0][x->1]` maps `x` to 1---the outermost adjustment is +the operative one. In other words, `r[x->0][x->1] == (r[x->0])[x->1]`. + +One of the key facts here is that even though the existential has +scope only over the first sentence, in effect it binds the pronoun in +the following clause. This is characteristic of dynamic theories in +the style of Groenendijk and Stokhof, including DPL and DMG. + + 10. He_x sat. Someone^x entered. + + {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])}[sit(x)][∃x.enter(x)] + + -- evaluating `sit(x)` rules out nothing, since (coincidentally) + -- x refers to Bob, and Bob is a sitter + + = {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])}[∃x.enter(x)] + + -- Just as before, the existential adds a new peg and assigns + -- it to each object + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->a]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])}[enter(x)] + + -- enter(x) eliminates all those possibilities in which x did + -- not enter + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])} + +The result is different than before. Before, there was only one +possibility: that x refered to the only person who both entered and +sat. Here, there remain two possibilities: that x refers to Bob, or +that x refers to Carl. This makes predictions about the +interpretation of continuations of the dialogs: + + 11. A man^x entered. He_x sat. He_x spoke. + 12. He_x sat. A man^x entered. He_x spoke. + +The construal of (11) as marked entails that the person who spoke also +entered and sat. The construal of (12) guarantees only that the +person who spoke also entered. There is no guarantee that the person +who spoke sat. + +Intuitively, there is a strong impression in (12) that the person who +entered and spoke not only should not be identified as the person who +sat, he should be different from the person who sat. Some dynamic +systems, such as Heim's File Change Semantics, guarantee non-identity. +That is not guaranteed by the GSV fragment. The GSV guarantees that +the indefinite introduces a novel peg, but there is no requirement +that the peg refers to a novel object. If you wanted to add this as a +refinement to the fragment, you could required that whenever a new peg +gets added, it must be mapped onto an object that is not in the range +of the original assignment function. + +As usual with dynamic semantics, a point of pride is the ability to +give a good account of donkey anaphora, as in + + 13. If a woman entered, she sat. + +See the paper for details. + +## Interactions of binding with modality + +At this point, we have a fragment that handles modality, and that +handles indefinites and pronouns. It it only interesting to combine +these two elements if they interact in non-trivial ways. This is +exactly what GSV argue. + +The discussion of indefinites in the previous section established the +following dynamic equivalence: + + (∃x.enter(x)) and (sit(x)) ≡ ∃x (enter(x) and sit(x)) + +In words, existentials in effect take scope over subsequent clauses. + +The presence of modal possibility, however, disrupts this +generalization: + + (∃x.enter(x)) and (◊sit(x)) ≡/≡ ∃x (enter(x) and ◊sit(x)) + +To see this, we'll start with the left hand side. + + 14. Someone^x entered. He_x might sit. + + {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])}[∃x.enter(x)][◊sit(x)] + + -- same computation up to the point of the modal + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])}[◊sit(x)] + + -- modal returns all or none, depending on whether the + -- prejacent is consistent with the starting infostate. + -- since there is one choice for x who sat, returns all: + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b][1->c])} + +To paraphrase, the requirements are that there must be a person who +entered, and it might be possible that that person sat. But this is +not metaphysical possibility: we're not choosing a person an wondering +whether that person sat. If that's what we had in mind, we'd go off +to a bunch of non-actual possible worlds and see what is happening +there. Instead, this is supposed to be epistemic possibility. The +paraphrase should be something like: there must be a person who +entered, and for all we know, that person might have sat. + +The peculiar thing is that the uncertainty has nothing to do with the +facts of the world, but only with the fact about the discourse: it's +uncertainty about which object the pronoun refers to. GSV work hard +to make this interpretation plausible. Here's their story: + + There are three kids. One of them breaks a vase. One is known to + be innocent. There are sounds coming out of the closet. + + 15. Someone^x is in the closet. He_x might be guilty. + +You have enough information to know that someone is in the closet. +You use the pronoun to refer to the person in the closet, and assert +that, for all you know, that person might be guilty. The fragment +gives you guaranteed coreference---it's whoever is in the closet who +might be guilty---in the presence of uncertainty about who the pronoun +refers to. + +Now we consider the second half: + + 14. Someone^x entered who_x might sit. + + {(w,1,r[x->0],g[0->b])}[∃x.(enter(x) & ◊sit(x)] + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->a]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->c])}[enter(x)][◊sit(x)] + + -- recall that Alice didn't enter, so + + = {(w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->b]), + (w,2,r[x->0][x->1],g[0->c])}[◊sit(x)] +