[Attempto] @anaphoric reference

[Tobias Kuhn]

Hi,

Another problem with proper names in apposition is that they can produce ambiguity if there are 
verbs like "show" that can be transitive or ditransitive:

   (1) John shows a book.
   (2) John shows Mary a book.
   (3) John shows a man Bill.

"show" can be a transitive (1) or a ditransitive verb (2). Sentence (3) gets two possible meanings 
if proper names as appositions are allowed. (I think that there are even more cases in which such 
proper names as appositions can introduce ambiguity.)


Tobiss



Simon Spero wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 5:54 AM, Norbert E. Fuchs <fuchs at ifi.uzh.ch 
> <mailto:fuchs at ifi.uzh.ch>> wrote:
> 
> 
>     Previous versions of ACE allowed proper names in apposition to
>     common nouns, but that led to problems as, for instance
> 
>     A woman John sleeps.
> 
> 
>  I can see why using an indefinite article  doesn't work with ACE. since 
> that wants parenthetical commas, which break conjunctions:
> 
> (1) [[[A woman, John], and [a dog]] slept.]
> (2)  [[A woman],[John], and [a dog]] slept].
> 
> Is there also a problem with "The woman John sleeps." / "John the woman 
> sleeps."?
> 
> Also, since something is the top type, it subsumes any more specific 
> type that is bound to a variable;  would allowing variables of other 
> types to to match with it break things? 
> 
> 
> 
> Simon
> 
> 
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