Logical Syntax and Semantics: Their Linguistic Relevance
Noam Chomsky · Language · 1955
The relation between linguistics and logic has been discussed in a recent paper by Bar-Hillel, where it is argued that a disregard for work in logical syntax and semantics has caused linguists to limit themselves too narrowly in their inquiries, and to fall into several errors. In particular, Bar-Hillel asserts, they have attempted to derive relations of synonymy and so-called ‘rules of transformation’, such as the active-passive relation, from distributional studies alone, and they have hesitated to rely on considerations of meaning in linguistic analysis. No one can quarrel with the suggestion that linguists interest themselves in meaning or transformation rules, but the relevance of logical syntax and semantics (at least as we now know them) to this study is very dubious. I think that a closer investigation of the assumptions and concerns of logical syntax and semantics will show that the hope of applying the results which have been achieved in these fields to the solution of linguistic problems is illusory.