back to idea for this text


Single Idea 18779

[from 'English as a Formal Language' by Richard Montague, in 5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 2. Descriptions / b. Definite descriptions ]

Full Idea

The expression 'The' turns out to play the role of a quantifier, in complete analogy with 'every' and 'a', and does not generate (in common with common noun phrases) denoting expressions

Gist of Idea

'The' is a quantifier, like 'every' and 'a', and does not result in denotation

Source

Richard Montague (English as a Formal Language [1970], p.216), quoted by Bernard Linsky - Quantification and Descriptions 4

Book Reference

'Bloomsbury Companion to Philosophical Logic', ed/tr. Horsten,L/Pettigrew,R [Bloomsbury 2014], p.100


A Reaction

Linsky says that it is now standard to interpret definite descriptions as quantifiers