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International Conference on Conceptual Structures

ICCS 1995: Conceptual Structures: Applications, Implementation and Theory pp 338–352Cite as

Existential graphs and dynamic predicate logic

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 954))

Abstract

Using first-order logic to represent the meaning of natural language sentences forces a non-compositional analysis of cross-sentential anaphora and donkey-anaphora. Groenendijk and Stokhof developed Dynamic Predicate Logic, in syntax equal to first-order logic, but with a different semantics. Using Dynamic Predicate Logic, anaphora can be analyzed in a compositional way.

The same results can be achieved using Existential Graphs, developed by C.S. Peirce. The advantages of using Existential Graphs are that Existential Graphs are less complicated and easier to use than Dynamic Predicate Logic, and that Existential Graphs do not require a change of semantics. We discuss two types of anaphora, describe Dynamic Predicate Logic and Existential Graphs, give logical properties of both formalisms, and compare the two approaches.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands

    Harmen van den Berg

Authors
  1. Harmen van den Berg
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Gerard Ellis Robert Levinson William Rich John F. Sowa

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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van den Berg, H. (1995). Existential graphs and dynamic predicate logic. In: Ellis, G., Levinson, R., Rich, W., Sowa, J.F. (eds) Conceptual Structures: Applications, Implementation and Theory. ICCS 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 954. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60161-9_48

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60161-9_48

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60161-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49539-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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