The conceptual basis of generic language

Generic sentences (e.g., “ducks lay eggs”) play a crucial role in concept learning, communication, and education. Despite extensive research, the semantics of generics remains a controversial issue, as these sentences do not seem to fit within standard truth-conditional frameworks. In this talk, I will advance a conceptual approach to the semantics of generics that focuses on their role in reasoning. I will distinguish between property and diagnostic generics and use the theory of conceptual spaces to propose measures that formally capture this distinction. Finally, I will explore the possible connections between this view and the notion of truth-likeness.

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