de re/de dicto ambiguity, intersective and subsective adjectives

Question 1

SCOPAL AMBIGUITY

Answer 1

De re/de dicto ambiguity represented as differences in scope
> Description has WIDE scope (propositional attitude in the scope of description): de re/SPECIFIC reading

> Description has NARROW scope (propositional attitude has scope over description): de dicto/NON-SPECIFIC reading

EG.: Luke wants to marry a Spanish girl with green eyes

specific, de re, wide scope: dolores
∃x [(GIRL(x) & SPANISH(x) & GREEN-EYED (x) &[ WANT(l, MARRY(l,x)])]

non specific, de dicto, narrow scope
WANT(l,[∃x [(GIRL(x) & SPANISH(x) & GREEN-EYED (x) & MARRY(l,x)]])

Question 2

Intersective adjectives

Answer 2

denotation set = set of all things that have both properties denoted by Adj and N

Question 3

Subsective adjectives

Answer 3

Francis is a skillfull surgeon
Francis is a violinist
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
?Francis is a skilfull violinist
NOT VALID

The set of skillful surgeons is included in the set of surgeons (subset)
>A skillful surgeon is necessarily a surgeon

Subsective adjectives are INTENSIONAL:
combine with the SENSES of the Nouns they modify –NOT their DENOTATIONS
>Skillful “extremely good at the activity named by the NP”
>It is not necessarily T that skillful surgeons who play the violin are also skillful violonists

Other adjectives also modify the sense of the N
¡ Former, alleged, beautiful…