Compositionalistes

Compositionalistes are adherents of the principle of compositionality in semantics and philosophy of language. This principle holds that the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meanings of its parts and by the way they are syntactically combined to form the whole. As a methodological stance, compositionalists aim to derive the semantic value of phrases and sentences in a systematic, rule-governed, often formal way, using tools such as lambda calculus and model-theoretic semantics.

Historically, the idea is rooted in the work of Gottlob Frege, who argued that the sense and reference of a sentence follow from the senses and references of its parts and their mode of combination. The program was developed further in the 20th century through formal approaches to natural language, notably Montague grammar, which sought to treat ordinary language with the rigor of formal semantics and to maintain compositionality at every stage of interpretation.

Contemporary discussions acknowledge limitations and refinements of the principle. Non-compositional phenomena, such as idioms, metaphor, and context-dependent expressions, pose challenges. Responses include dynamic or contextual semantics, which incorporate context and presupposition into meaning, and various weaker forms of compositionality that apply under certain conditions or linguistic levels. Debates also address how compositionality interacts with intensional contexts, polysemy, and pragmatic factors.

Impact and scope of compositionalists span linguistics, philosophy of language, and computational linguistics. Their work underpins formal grammars, semantic theory, and the design of semantic parsers, aiding the systematic analysis of how meaning arises in language. Notable figures include Frege and Montague, with ongoing development from researchers in formal and dynamic semantics. Related topics include semantics, philosophy of language, and formal linguistics.