In Search of Intended Meaning

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In Search of Intended Meaning

• I. Emre Sahin and Varol Akman
• Bilkent University
• Department of Computer Engineering
• 06800, Ankara, Turkey

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Contents

• The Formula and Intention Space
• Intended Meaning in Writing
• Intended Meaning in Reading
• Remarks on some problems

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The formula

• S Text (Sentence, Symbol)
• c Circumstance (Context)
• R Language Conventions
• P Intended Meaning (Content)

By Jon Barwise, On Circumstantial Relation
Between Meaning and Content. 1985-1986
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Intention Space

• Literary Works No Single Intended Meaning
• Richness Many intentions from text
• Comprehension Hunting Intentions of Author
• Extension to the equation

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Intentio Auctoris

• Author tries to share intended meaning P.
• Fiction create circumstance, play with
  conventions, be rich... (many intended meanings)
• Non-Fiction assume circumstance, be clear...
  (single intended meaning)

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Writing

• Author has a dream
• ltltnear_to, John, tree, 1gtgt
• ltltworking, John, rake, 1gtgt
• ltltraking, John, leaves, 1gtgt
• John is working with his rake.
• John has a rake in his hand.
• Leaves are admitting to Johns orders given with
  the rake in his hand.

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Writing (cont.)

• ltltraking, John, leaves, 1gtgt
• ltltunder, John, tree, 1gtgt
• ltltworking, John, rake, 1gtgt
• ...
• John is under the tree.
• He is working.
• He is raking leaves in the garden.

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Efficiency of intention

• There are (infinitely?) many ways to express some
  intention.
• Literary value How expressed?
• R Use of language?
• c Sound circumstance?
• S Well defined symbol?
• P Definite / Indefinite intended meaning?
• Build R, c, S for P

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Evolution (Intentionis Auctoris)

• Top Intention Moral of the story, thesis to be
  supported
• Progressively look for intentions to support
  top-level intention
• OR
• Start somewhere
• Explore the intention space
• Write as you learn yourself

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Intentio Lectoris

• For reader A book not known infinite intention
  space
• World in the book Progressively add elements
• Sequentiality There is always some order in
  reading.

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Comprehension

• Are language conventions identical with mine? (R)
• How is the world in the book? (c)
• What does the sentence mean? (S)
• Whats the intention of author? (P)
• Get P from R, c, S

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Reading I

• John is under the tree.
• the tree I must know this one. (c)
• ltltunder, John, tree, 1gtgt

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Reading II

• He is working.
• the tree c
• Working Perhaps cutting the tree.

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Reading III

• He is raking leaves in the garden.
• ltltraking, John, leaves, 1gtgt

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Readers Intention Space

• Infinite
• Tree
• Apple tree, maple, plum, ...
• Tree trunk, tree branch, tree leaf, ...
• Graph, genealogy, ...
• ...
• ltltunder, John, tree, 1gtgt
• ltltsleeping, John, 1gtgt, ltltreading, John, 1gtgt, ...

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Interpretation

• John is under the tree. He is working. He is
  raking leaves in the garden.

• Common sense interpretation
• Covert Action interpretation
• Religious interpretation
• Kabbalist interpretation

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Readers Intention Space

• Infinite in terms of allusions.
• Peirce, infinite semiosis
• Finite in terms of structure.
• Tree does not both mean flower and moon.
• (Or is this wrong?)
• Interpretation and overinterpretation
• Infinite semiosis does not mean that a text can
  mean anything.

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Intentio Operis

• Open
• Large intention space, open to interpret.
• Richness
• No single meaning
• Keep intention space large
• Ulysses

• Closed
• Definite number of intentions
• Not much literary value
• Definite meaning
• Keep intention space small
• Superman

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Ambiguity I

• Large intention space.
• Due to nonstandard R (Finnegans Wake)
• Due to c, nonstandard environment
• Due to S, ambiguous syntax etc.
• Filtering appropriate intentions.
• Usual in open texts.

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Ambiguity II

• Reading text, sequentially
• Infinite gt P1 gt P2
• Intention subspace P2 to P1
• Intention superspace P1 to P2
• P2 incompatible with P1 Ambiguous
• There is an apple tree in the garden. There are
  oranges hanging from the tree.
• c1 apple tree, c2 orange tree

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Problems Separating c and R

• Planet
• In an Science Fiction work, planet in R
• In a childrens storybook, planet in c

Describe every element in c
Assume every element in R
c
R
planet in an SF work
planet in a childrens book
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Problems Separating c and R

• Whats a good criterion for positioning the
  separation point?
• What must an author assume writing a piece of
  text?
• Model Reader
• Work Dependent
• Debate

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Problems Relation S and R

• In which ways a sign is in R and is an S?
• Proposal Allusion / Structure analogy
• There are infinite replacements of a word (that
  carries meaning) in a given position.
• Yet all replacements must conform with language.
• Phonologically
• Syntactically
• Semantically

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Problems Intention Sets

• This sentence is true.
• Intention space contains some intention about
  itself.
• Non well-founded sets
• This sentence is false.
• Paradox
• blah, blah, blah... This announcement will not
  be repeated.

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Problems - Discarding

• Which intentions must be discarded in favor of
  the other?
• Criteria?
• Understanding Discarding irrelevant intentions
  from intention space
• Relevance?
• Formalizing?

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Some more formulas

• Perfect Translation
• Not-so-perfect Translation
• Minimize
• How?

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Conclusion

• Step to formalize context
• Application of Situation Semantics
• Formal Criticism
• Heritage
• Religion, Hermeneutics
• Literature, Criticism
• Logic, Empirical Logic
• Linguistics, Semantics

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Summary

• The Formula and Intention Space
• Intended Meaning in Writing
• Intended Meaning in Reading
• Remarks on some problems

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Thank You!

• Please share your comments and questions.