Semantic Theory at Universität Stuttgart

In truth-conditional semantics, the meaning of a sentence is...

Assume the actual world as the mode. For the following sentences, selebt them only if they are true: 

a) Berlin is the capital of Germany. 

b) Germany is a country in South Africa. 

c) Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania. 

d) Lithuania is a country in Africa.

Assume a state of affairs in which there is a man called Homer, a woman called Marge. They have three children: Bart (a boy), Lisa (a girl) and Maggie (a girl). For the following sentences, select them only if they are true.

(a) Bart is Maggie’s brother. 

(b) Homer is Maggie’s brother. 

(c) Lisa is Marge’s daughter. 

(d) Lisa and Maggie are brothers

 Now assume a world that is like the actual world except that Bonn is the unique capital of Germany, there is a man Homer and his three siblings are called Bart (a boy), Lisa (a girl) and Maggie (a girl). For the following sentences, select them only if they are true.

(a) Berlin is the capital of Germany. 

(b) Homer is Maggie’s brother. 

(c) Homer and Bart are brothers. 

(d) Homer is Lisa’s father. 

What’s the difference between a state of affairs and a possible world?

Distinguishing between truth conditions and truth values: 

It rained in Vilnius on April 25 1240.

An entailment is a type of

If sentence A entails sentence B, then sentence A...B

Which expressions are synonyms for 'implication'?

A sentence A entails a sentence B if whenever A is... and B is...too. 

Assume that the inference B arises from the sentence A. To identify whether B is entailed by A or conversationally implicated A, we apply the defeasibility diagnostic. How does this diagnostic work?

Identify whether the following sentence stands in contrary or contradictory relation to 'Everybody danced' 

- Is is not the case that everybody danced