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1、Meaningandcontext:asurveyofacontemporarydebateThankstoanaudienceatCardiffUniversityforhelpfuldiscussionofthispaper.ThepaperwaswrittenduringtheawardofaPhilipLcvcrhulmcPrize.InthispaperIwanttosurveyacontemporarydebateabouttheplaceofcontextindeterminingmeaning.Thedebatehasturnedonexampleslik
2、ethefollowing:imagineafridgewhichcontainsonlyasmallpuddleofmilkonitsfloor.Twoconversationsconcerningthefridgethentakeplace:Scenario1:Hugoisdejectedlystirringacupofblackcoffee.NoticingthisOdilesays'Thereismilkinthe&idgcScenario2:IIugohasbeencleaningthefridge.Odileopensthefridgedoorandsays
3、"ThereismilkintheftidgeTheintuitionwhichdrivesthecurrentdebateisthatwhatOdilesayscandifferintruthvaluebetweenthesetwoscenarios.AsTravis(&omwhomtheexampleistaken)1989:18-9notes:AlthoughthereisnoambiguityintheEnglishwords"lliereismilkintherefrigerator",ornonerelevanttothedifferencesbetween
4、thetwospeakings,Odile'swordsinthefirstcasesaidwhatwasfalse,whileinthesecondcasetheysaidwhatwastrue・Bothspokeofthesamestateoftheworld,orthesamerefrigeratorinthesamecondition・So,inthefirstcase,thewordssaidwhatisfalseofarefrigeratorwithbutamilkpuddle;inthesecondcasetheysaidwhatistmeofsuchare
5、frigerator.Travistakesexamplesliketheseasthesteppingoffpointforaradicallycontext-sensitiveaccountofmeaning,whichheattributestothelaterWittgenstein(e.g.seeWittgensteinPhilosophicalInvestigations§117,§514,Travis1989,Chs1&6).However,thiskindofexamplehasalsohelpedtomotivatearangeofotherpositi
6、onsinthecontemporaryliterature.Thus,in§1,1willsketchfivedistinctwaystoaccountforthephenomenonthrownupbyexamplesliketheoneaboveandsuggestthatwecanviewthepositionsinthedebateonascale,ranging&omstandardformalsemanticsatoneendthroughtoWittgensteinianpositionswhichembodytheclaimthatmeaningisus
7、eattheother.Ilowcvcr,myaiminthispaperistosuggestthat,viewedinthisway,itbecomeslessthanclearthattheintermediatepositions,betweenthetwoendsofthespectrum,aretrulyviable.Thegeneralproblemisthatallseempreytoaninternaltension,atoncerecommendingthatwetakethephenomenonthrow