Language and Equilibrium

By Prashant Parikh

A new framework that shows how to derive the meaning of an utterance from first principles by modeling it as a system of interdependent games.

In Language and Equilibrium, Prashant Parikh offers a new account of meaning for natural language. He argues that equilibrium, or balance among multiple interacting forces, is a key attribute of language and meaning and shows how to derive the meaning of an utterance from first principles by modeling it as a system of interdependent games.
His account results in a novel view of semantics and pragmatics and describes how both may be integrated with syntax. It considers many aspects of meaning--including literal meaning and implicature--and advances a detailed theory of definite descriptions as an application of the framework.
Language and Equilibrium is intended for a wide readership in the cognitive sciences, including philosophers, linguists, and artificial intelligence researchers as well as neuroscientists, psychologists, and economists interested in language and communication.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262013452
• ISBN13: 9780262013451
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher