Russellian and Strawsonian Definite Descriptions in Situation Semantics

Abstract

In this paper I give two alternatives for representing the def- inite descriptions - Russellian and Strawsonian approaches realized in situation semantics. I show how the Russellian treatment of the definites can be made “referential”, while preserving its original generalized quan- tifier mode. The Strawsonian representation is substantially referential with presuppositional effect of the restriction imposed over the paramet- ric representative of the potential referent of the definite description. The situation theoretical restricted parameters, speakers’ reference functions in particular contexts of utterances, and the notion of a resource situa- tion for evaluating NPs are the key formal tools used. This work does not reject any of the two accounts in favor of the other, but shows how both approaches give better results in a theory which models partial- ity of the linguistic information, discourse dependency and in particular, speakers’ references. In both approaches, the prototypical definite NPs get appropriate “parametric” interpretations.