Article

Name: «Endless labyrinth of linkages»: semantics of text as a multidimensional structure

Authors: S. Zolyan

Institute of Philosophy and Law, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia

Abstract: When referring to the semantics of text, its substantial distinction from the semantics of other language units should be taken into consideration. Un-like an utterance, text does not have fixed pragmasemantics i.e. its dependence to a certain communicative context. Herewith, text is liable to semantization assuming correlation with the other domains of reference (possible worlds). It presupposes the description of text as relations (functions or correlation mechanism) correlating a set of possible worlds with a set of possible contexts whereby such worlds and contexts in which the value of constituent utterances acquires the value of “truth”. Text thus acts as a peculiar analogy of the concept of a model and model structure in modal logic (S. Kripke); that is a procedure of correlating propositions and possible worlds within this or that model structure formed by the text itself, as well as within the cor-relation of contexts where the text is actualized. It is noteworthy though, that Leo Tolstoy approached the idea closely and expressed it through a fine metaphor : “end-less labyrinth of linkages”. Text value is chiefly polysemantic, and the metaphor comes to elucidate that the novel semantics cannot be reduced to even very complex linear structure. It should instead be understood as an infinite set оf possible interpretаtions – transworld relations.

Keywords: Juri Litman 's concept of text, textual sense and meaning, possible world semantics, multiple reference and interpretation

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