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Single Idea 7772

[from 'Truth and Meaning' by Donald Davidson, in 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 4. Compositionality ]

Full Idea

Davidson's main argument in favour of his truth conditions theory of meaning is that compositionality is needed to account for our understanding of long, novel sentences, and a sentence's truth condition is its most obviously compositional feature.

Clarification

'Compositionality' is building up sentence meaning from components

Gist of Idea

Compositionality explains how long sentences work, and truth conditions are the main compositional feature

Source

report of Donald Davidson (Truth and Meaning [1967]) by William Lycan - Philosophy of Language Ch.9

Book Reference

Lycan,William G.: 'Philosophy of Language' [Routledge 2000], p.146


A Reaction

This seems to me exactly right. As we hear a new long sentence unfold, we piece together the meaning. At the end we may spot that the meaning is silly, or an unverifiable speculation, or not what the speaker intended - but it is too late! It means.