Single Idea 19132

[catalogued under 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 6. Truth-Conditions Semantics]

Full Idea

Truth is the essential semantic concept with which to begin a top-down analysis of sentences, since truth, or lack of it, is the most obvious semantic property of sentences, and provides the clearest explanation of judging and conveying information.

Gist of Idea

Top-down semantic analysis must begin with truth, as it is obvious, and explains linguistic usage

Source

Donald Davidson (Truth and Predication [2005], Intro)

Book Reference

Davidson,Donald: 'Truth and Predication' [Belknap Harvard 2005], p.2


A Reaction

[a bit compressed] Presumably this goes with giving sentences semantic priority. The alternative approach is compositional, and is likely to give reference of terms priority over truth of the sentence. But accurate reference is a sort of truth.

Related Idea

Idea 19131 We recognise sentences at once as linguistic units; we then figure out their parts [Davidson]