Vagueness, Ambiguity, and All the Rest
Vagueness, Ambiguity, and All the Rest

Author: Ilaria Fiorentini

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2024-10-15

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9027246564

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This book aims to address a gap in the existing literature on the relationship between vagueness and ambiguity, as well as on their differences and similarities, both in synchrony and diachrony, and taking into consideration their relation to language use. The book is divided into two parts, which address specific and broader research questions from different perspectives. The former part examines the differences between ambiguity and vagueness from a bird-eye perspective, with a particular focus on their respective functions and roles in language change. It also presents innovative linguistic resources and tools for the study of these phenomena. The second part contains case studies on vagueness and ambiguity in language change and use. It considers different strategies and languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Medieval Latin, and Old Italian. The readership for this volume is broad, encompassing scholars in a range of disciplines, including pragmatics, spoken discourse, conversation analysis, discourse genres (political, commercial, notarial discourse), corpus studies, language change, pragmaticalization, and language typology.

Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives
Semantics - Lexical Structures and Adjectives

Author: Claudia Maienborn

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2019-02-19

Total Pages: 578

ISBN-13: 311062639X

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Discover vital research on the lexical and cognitive meanings of words. In this exciting book from a team of world-class researchers, in-depth articles explain a wide range of topics, including thematic roles, sense relation, ambiguity and comparison. The authors focus on the cognitive and conceptual structure of words and their meaning extensions such as coercion, metaphors and metonymies. The book features highly cited material – available in paperback for the first time since its publication – and is an essential starting point for anyone interested in lexical semantics, especially where it meets other cognitive and conceptual research.

Strategic Indeterminacy in the Law
Strategic Indeterminacy in the Law

Author: David Lanius

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-05-30

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0190923709

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Though indeterminacy in legal texts is pervasive, there is a widespread misunderstanding about what indeterminacy is, particularly as it pertains to law. Legal texts present unique challenges insofar as they address a heterogeneous audience, are applied in a variety of unforeseeable circumstances and must, at the same time, lay down clear and unambiguous standards. Sometimes they fail to do so, however, either by accident or by intention. While many have claimed that indeterminacy facilitates flexibility and can be strategically used, few have recognized that there are more forms of indeterminacy than vagueness and ambiguity. A comprehensive account of legal indeterminacy is thus called for. David Lanius here answers that call and in so doing, addresses three central questions about the role of indeterminacy in the law. First, what are the sources of indeterminacy in law? Second, what effects do the different forms of indeterminacy have? Third, how can and should these forms be intentionally used? Based on a thorough examination of the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of indeterminacy in the wording of laws, contracts, and verdicts, Lanius argues for the claim that semantic vagueness is less relevant than commonly supposed in the debate, while other forms of indeterminacy (in particular, polysemy and standard-relativity) are mistakenly underrated or even ignored. This misconception is due to a systematic confusion between semantic vagueness and these other forms of indeterminacy. Once it is resolved, the value and functions of linguistic indeterminacy in the law can be clearly shown.

Fuzzy Sets, Fuzzy Logic, and Fuzzy Systems
Fuzzy Sets, Fuzzy Logic, and Fuzzy Systems

Author: Lotfi Asker Zadeh

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 848

ISBN-13: 9789810224219

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This book consists of selected papers written by the founder of fuzzy set theory, Lotfi A Zadeh. Since Zadeh is not only the founder of this field, but has also been the principal contributor to its development over the last 30 years, the papers contain virtually all the major ideas in fuzzy set theory, fuzzy logic, and fuzzy systems in their historical context. Many of the ideas presented in the papers are still open to further development. The book is thus an important resource for anyone interested in the areas of fuzzy set theory, fuzzy logic, and fuzzy systems, as well as their applications. Moreover, the book is also intended to play a useful role in higher education, as a rich source of supplementary reading in relevant courses and seminars.The book contains a bibliography of all papers published by Zadeh in the period 1949-1995. It also contains an introduction that traces the development of Zadeh's ideas pertaining to fuzzy sets, fuzzy logic, and fuzzy systems via his papers. The ideas range from his 1965 seminal idea of the concept of a fuzzy set to ideas reflecting his current interest in computing with words ? a computing in which linguistic expressions are used in place of numbers.Places in the papers, where each idea is presented can easily be found by the reader via the Subject Index.

Words and Other Wonders
Words and Other Wonders

Author: Dirk Geeraerts

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2009-07-29

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 3110219123

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Cognitive Linguistics has given a major impetus to the study of semantics and the lexicon. The present volume brings together seventeen previously published papers that testify to the fruitfulness of Cognitive Linguistics for the study of lexical and semantic topics. Spanning the period from the late 1980s to recent years, the collection features a number of papers that may be considered classics within the field of cognitive linguistic lexicology. The papers are grouped in thematic sections. The first section deals with prototypicality as a theoretical and practical model of semantic description. The second section discusses polysemy and criteria for distinguishing between meanings. The third section tackles questions of meaning description beyond the level of words, on the level of idioms and constructions. The following section casts the net even wider, dealing with the cultural aspects of meaning. Moving away from the theoretical and descriptive perspective towards applied concerns, the fifth section looks at lexicography from the point of view of Cognitive Linguistics. The final section has a metatheoretical orientation: it discusses the history and methodology of lexical semantics. Each paper is preceded by a newly written introduction that situates the text against the period in which it was first published, but that also points to further developments, in the author's own research or in Cognitive Linguistics at large. The variety of topics dealt with make this book an excellent introduction to the broad field of lexicological and lexical semantic research.

Computing with Words in Information/Intelligent Systems 1
Computing with Words in Information/Intelligent Systems 1

Author: Lotfi A. Zadeh

Publisher: Physica

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 523

ISBN-13: 3790818739

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These two volumes consIstmg of Foundations and Applications provide the current status of theoretical and empirical developments in "computing with words". In philosophy, the twentieth century is said to be the century of language. This is mainly due to Wittgenstein who said: "The meaning of a word is its use in the language game". "The concept game is a concept with blurred edges". In the first phrase, "the language game" implies the everyday human activity with language, and in the latter, "game" simply implies an ordinary word. Thus, Wittgenstein precisely stated that a word is fuzzy in real life. Unfortunately this idea about a word was not accepted in the conventional science. We had to wait for Zadeh's fuzzy sets theory. Remembering Wittgenstein's statement, we should consider, on the one hand, the concept of "computing with words" from a philosophical point of view. It deeply relates to the everyday use of a word in which the meaning of a word is fuzzy in its nature.

Human and Machine Perception 3
Human and Machine Perception 3

Author: Virginio Cantoni

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1461513618

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The following are the proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Human and Machine Perception held in Palermo, Italy, on June 20 -23, 2000, under the auspices of three Institutions: the Cybernetic and Biophysics Group (GNCB) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the two Inter-Department Centers of Cognitive Sciences of Palermo and Pavia University respectively. A broad spectrum of topics are covered in this series, ranging from computer perception to psychology and physiology of perception. The theme of this workshop on Human and Machine Perception was focused on Thinking, Deciding, and Acting. As in the past editions the final goal has been the analysis and the comparison of biological and artificial solutions. The focus of the lectures has been on presenting the state-of-the-art and outlining open questions. In particular, they sought to stress links, suggesting possible synergies between the different cultural areas. The panel discussion has been conceived as a forum for an open debate, briefly introduced by each panelist, and mainly aimed at deeper investigation of the different approaches to perception and strictly related topics. The panelists were asked to prepare a few statements on hot-points as a guide for discussion. These statements were delivered to the participants together with the final program, for a more qualified discussion.

Intelligent Systems and Soft Computing
Intelligent Systems and Soft Computing

Author: Behnam Azvine

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2006-12-30

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 3540449175

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Artificial intelligence has, traditionally focused on solving human-centered problems like natural language processing or common-sense reasoning. On the other hand, for a while now soft computing has been applied successfully in areas like pattern recognition, clustering, or automatic control. The papers in this book explore the possibility of bringing these two areas together. This book is unique in the way it concentrates on building intelligent software systems by combining methods from diverse disciplines, such as fuzzy set theory, neuroscience, agent technology, knowledge discovery, and symbolic artificial intelligence. The first part of the book focuses on foundational aspects and future directions; the second part provides the reader with an overview of recently developed software tools for building flexible intelligent systems; the final section studies developed applications in various fields.

The Dynamics of Judicial Proof
The Dynamics of Judicial Proof

Author: Marilyn MacCrimmon

Publisher: Physica

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 491

ISBN-13: 3790817929

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Fact finding in judicial proceedings is a dynamic process. This collection of papers considers whether computational methods or other formal logical methods developed in disciplines such as artificial intelligence, decision theory, and probability theory can facilitate the study and management of dynamic evidentiary and inferential processes in litigation. The papers gathered here have several epicenters, including (i) the dynamics of judicial proof, (ii) the relationship between artificial intelligence or formal analysis and "common sense," (iii) the logic of factual inference, including (a) the relationship between causality and inference and (b) the relationship between language and factual inference, (iv) the logic of discovery, including the role of abduction and serendipity in the process of investigation and proof of factual matters, and (v) the relationship between decision and inference.

Fuzzy Control
Fuzzy Control

Author: Rainer Hampel

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-06-02

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 3790818410

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The present edited volume is of special importance, and for various reasons. First of all, it is one of the most comprehensive and multifaceted coverage of broadly per ceived fuzzy control in the literature. The editors have succeeded to collect papers from leading scholars and researchers on various subjects related to the topic of the volume. What is relevant and original is that - as opposed to so many volumes on fuzzy control published by virtually all major publishing houses that are strongly technically oriented and covering a narrow spectrum of issues relevant to fuzzy con trol itself - the editors have adopted a more general and far sighted approach. Basically, the perspective assumed in the volume is that though fuzzy control has reached such a level of maturity and implementability that it has become a part of in dustrial practice, science and academic research still have a relevant role to play in this area. One should however take into account that by their very nature, the role of science and academic research is very peculiar and going beyond straightforward ap plications, ad hoc solutions, "quick and dirty" tools and techniques, etc. that are usu ally effective and efficient for solving practical problems. This does not mean that as pects of practical implementations should not be accounted for by scholars and re searchers.