In this article, we explore an integration of a formal semantic approach to lexical meaning and an approach based on distributional methods. First, we outline a formal semantic theory that aims to combine the virtues of both formal and distributional frameworks. We then proceed to develop an algebraic interpretation of that formal semantic theory and show how at least two kinds of distributiona...

We present a formal account of the meaning of vague scalar adjectives such as ‘tall’ formulated in Type Theory with Records. Our approach makes precise how perceptual information can be integrated into the meaning representation of these predicates; how an agent evaluates whether an entity counts as tall; and how the proposed semantics can be learned and dynamically updated through experience.

There has been a growing awareness of deep relations between software and knowledge. Software, from an efficiency oriented way to program computing machines, gradually converged to human oriented Runnable Knowledge. Apparently this has happened unintentionally, but knowledge is not incidental to software. The basic thesis: runnable knowledge is the essence of abstract software. A knowledge dist...

Formal semantics has traditionally distinguished between extensional and intensional aspects of meaning, roughly equivalent to reference and what people intuitively call "meaning", respectively. It has primarily focused on extension, since this allows for predictions to be made and tested by building models of meaning that are directly grounded on reference, using set theoretic tools. Distribut...

This paper outlines a formal computational semantics and pragmatics of the major speech act types. A theory of force is given that allows us to give a semantically and pragmaticaly motivated taxonomy of speech acts. The relevance of the communication theory to complex distributed artificial intellince, DAI, systems is described. l Introduction In a system that engages in a dialogue with a user ...

In this paper, we suggest a formal framework as a basis for a generic combination of formal languages. It makes it possible the developer to specify the dynamic part of a system with a process algebra, and the static part with an algebraic specification language. The framework is based on a formal kernel composed of an abstract grammar describing the general form of the combination, and a globa...

In this paper we explore how formal models are interpreted and to what degree meaning is captured in the formal semantics and to what degree it remains in the informal interpretation of the semantics. By applying a robust approach to the definition of refinement and semantics, favoured by the event-based community, to state-based theory we are able to move some aspects from the informal interpr...