Abstract
Problems related to indexicality, such as Sidelle’s Answering Machine Paradox [10], have been problematic for direct reference theorists. The solutions suggested to date are not wholly satisfactory. I suggest that the correct solution requires an account of context shifting in natural language. However, existing context shifting accounts assume that context shifting is a purely semantic, operator-governed mechanism. This view has trouble dealing with so-called ‘free shifts’, such as the answering machine problem. I discuss these approaches and sketch a new account in terms of discourse context, which should be viewed as a pragmatic feature.
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Whitsey, M. (2003). Discourse Context and Indexicality. In: Blackburn, P., Ghidini, C., Turner, R.M., Giunchiglia, F. (eds) Modeling and Using Context. CONTEXT 2003. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2680. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44958-2_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44958-2_28
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