The Logic of Lexical Connectives

Abstract Natural language does not express all connectives definable in classical logic as simple lexical items. Coordination English is expressed by conjunction and , disjunction or negated nor . Other languages pattern similarly. Non-lexicalized are typically compositionally: English, combining negation ( both ). This surprising: if $$\wedge $$ ∧ $$\vee ∨ duals, the of latter can be lexically ), why former? I present a two-tiered model semantics binary connectives. The first tier captures expressive power lexicon: it bilateral state-based that, under restriction, only distinctions that lexicon natural and, or, characterized rejection non-assertion Neglect Zero assumption. second obtained dropping assumption enforcing stronger notion rejection, thereby recovering thus definitions for Boolean On model, we distinguish limited resources greater combinatorial whole. gives us logic-based account compositionality fragment language.