Natural Language Semantics and Computability

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the computational aspects of natural language semantics, focusing on the computability of logical models and algorithms used to derive semantic representations from statements, including lexical meanings.

Contribution

It provides a computational analysis of existing formal semantics models, highlighting their computability and complexity without proposing new models.

Findings

Semantic representations can be computed without possible world semantics.

The paper discusses the algorithmic complexity of semantic computation.

Current models are computationally feasible for certain aspects of natural language semantics.

Abstract

This paper is a reflexion on the computability of natural language semantics. It does not contain a new model or new results in the formal semantics of natural language: it is rather a computational analysis of the logical models and algorithms currently used in natural language semantics, defined as the mapping of a statement to logical formulas - formulas, because a statement can be ambiguous. We argue that as long as possible world semantics is left out, one can compute the semantic representation(s) of a given statement, including aspects of lexical meaning. We also discuss the algorithmic complexity of this process.