Papers

Links to papers and some other outputs.

Philosophy of semantics

  1. Can natural language be captured in a formal system?
    In: S.O. Hanson, V. Hendricks and E. Kjeldahl (eds), Introduction to Formal Philosophy, Berlin/NewYork, Springer, 2018, pp. 273-288 [.pdf]
  2. What cost naturalism? [with Michiel van Lambalgen]
    In: K. Balogh and W. Petersen (eds), Bridging Formal and Conceptual Semantics. Selected papers of BRIDGE-14, Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf University Press, 2016, pp. 89–117 [.pdf]
  3. Arguing about dynamic meaning
    In: A. Baltag and S. Smets (eds.), Johan van Benthem on Logic and Information, Berlin/New York, Springer, 2014, pp. 749-764 [.pdf]
  4. Abstracte begrippen en concrete werkelijkheid [with Michiel van Lambalgen]
    In: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, 2014, Vol. 106, no. 1, pp. 69-74 [.pdf] 
  5. Formal semantics and Wittgenstein: An alternative?
    In: The Monist, Vol. 96, no. 2, 2013, pp. 205-231 [.pdf]
  6. Martin Stokhof discusses formal semantics and Wittgenstein
    From: Elucidations: A University of Chicago Podcast by Matt Teichman, 2013 [.mp3]
  7. Intuitions and competence in formal semantics
    In: B. Partee, M. Glanzberg and J. Skilters (eds), The Baltic International Yearbook of Cognition, Logic and Communication. Volume 6: Formal Semantics and Pragmatics. Discourse, Context and Models., Riga, University of Latvia Press 2011, pp. 1-23 [.pdf]
  8. The role of artificial languages
    In: D. Graff Fara and G. Russell (eds), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Language, London, Routledge, 2011, pp. 544-53 [.pdf]
  9. Abstractions and idealisations: the construction of modern linguistics [with Michiel van Lambalgen]
    In: Theoretical Linguistics, Vol. 37, no. 1-2, 2011, pp. 1-26 [.pdf]
    [A Dutch version of this paper appeared in Tijdschrift voor Filosofie, Vol.72, 2010, pp. 749-776]
  10. Comments-to-comments [with Michiel van Lambalgen]
    In: Theoretical Linguistics, Vol. 37, no. 1-2, 2011, pp. 79-94 [.pdf]
  11. Taal en praktijk
    In: Nederlandse Taalkunde, Vol. 13, no. 3, 2008, pp. 322-329 [.pdf]
    [Short version of  Taal: constructie en praktijk, unpublished manuscript [.pdf]]
  12. Information in natural language [with Hans Kamp]
    In: P. Adriaans and J. van Benthem (eds), Handbook of the Philosophy of Information, Amsterdam, Elsevier, 2008, pp. 49-112 [.pdf]
  13. Hand or hammer? On formal and natural languages in semantics
    In: The Journal of Indian Philosophy, Vol. 35, no. 5-6, 2007, pp. 597-626 [.pdf]
  14. The future of semantics?
    In: Theoretical Linguistics, 32, 2006, pp. 91-100 [.pdf]
  15. Why compositionality? [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: G. Carlson and J. Pelletier (eds), Reference and Quantification: The Partee Effect, Stanford, CSLI Press, 2005, pp. 83-106 [.pdf]
  16. Meaning, interpretation and semantics
    In: D. Barker-Plummer, D. Beaver, J. van Benthem and P. Scotto di Luzio (eds), Words, Proofs, and Diagrams, Stanford, CSLI Press, 2002, pp. 217-240 [.pdf]
  17. Could semantics be something else? Philosophical challenges for formal semantics
    In: J. Gerbrandy, M. Marx, M. de Rijke and Y. Venema (eds),  JFAK 50. Essays Presented to Johan van Benthem on the Occasion of his Fiftieth Birthday, Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, 1999 [.pdf]

Wittgenstein

  1. De Tractatus lezen. En waarderen. [with Jaap van der Does]
    in: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, 2023, Vol. 115, no. 2, pp. 139-152 [.pdf]
    English translation: Reading the Tractatus. And appreciating it [.pdf]
  2. Naturalising mathematics? A Wittgensteinian perspective [with Jan Stam, Michiel van Lambalgen]
    In: Philosophies, 2022, 7(4), 85,  https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7040085, [.pdf]
  3. Interview met Robert van Altena over Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. Uitzending van Springvossen, 14 maart 2022, AmsterdamFM [.mp3]
  4. Inleiding
    In: L. Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, vertaald door Peter Huijzer en Jan Sietsma, Octavo, Amsterdam, pp. 7-30
  5. Tractatus, application and use [with Jaap van der Does]
    In: Open Philosophy, 2020, Vol. 3, pp. 77-797 [.pdf]
  6. ‘A people thing’: philosophical experiences
    In: Ying, X. (ed.), Xue bu fen dong xi: Qing hua da xue zhe xue xi jiao shi lun wen ji. Beijing, Qing hua da xue chu ban she, 2020, pp. 365-389 [.pdf]
  7. Ethics and morality, principles and practice
    In: Zeitschrift für Ethik und Moralphilosophie, 2018, Vol. 1, pp. 291-304 [.pdf]
  8. Wittgenstein over taal
    Lezing Humanistisch Verbond Amsterdam, 18 februari 2018 [.pdf]
  9. Het einde van de filosofie? De uitdaging van het naturalisme vanuit een Wittgensteiniaans perspectief
    In: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, 2017, Vol. 109, no. 2, pp. 171-198 [.pdf]
    Revised English version: The end of philosophy? A Wittgensteinian perspective on the challenge of naturalism [.pdf]
    Chinese translation of English version in: Approaching Meaning: Formal Semantics and Wittgenstein. Tsinghua University Press, Beijing, 2022
  10. Repliek
    In: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, 2017, Vol. 109, no. 2, pp. 237-243 [.pdf]
  11. The quest for purity. Another look at the New Wittgenstein
    In: Croatian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. XI, no. 33, 2011, pp. 275-94 [.pdf]
  12. Leven zonder hoop of vrees. Stoïsche elementen in de conceptie van het goede leven in Wittgensteins Tractatus
    In: Filosofie, Vol. 20, no. 6, 2010, pp. 19-27 [.pdf]
  13. Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophische Untersuchungen
    In: R. Gabriels (ed), De 20ste eeuw in 10 filosofische boeken, Amsterdam, Boom, 2009, pp. 87-109 [.pdf]
  14. The architecture of meaning: Wittgenstein’s Tractatus and formal semantics
    In: D. Levy and E. Zamuner (eds), Wittgenstein’s Enduring Arguments, London, Routledge, 2008, pp. 211-244 [.pdf]
  15. De hang naar zuiverheid
    In: De Gids, fall 2005 [.pdf]
  16. World and Life as One. Ethics and Ontology in Wittgenstein’s Early Work, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2002 [available at Amazon]
  17. Ludwig Wittgenstein
    In: M. Keestra (ed), Tien Westerse Filosofen, Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, 2000, pp. 165-188 [.pdf]

Dynamic semantics

  1. The gamut of dynamic logics [with Jan van Eijck]
    In: D. Gabbay and J. Woods (eds.), The Handbook of the History of Logic. Volume 6: Logic and Modalities in the Twentieth Century, Amsterdam, Elsevier, 2006. pp. 499-600 [.pdf]
  2. Meaning in motion [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: K. von Heusinger and U. Egli (eds.), Reference and Anaphoric Relations, Dordrecht, Kluwer, 1999, pp. 47-76 [.pdf]
  3. Betekenis in beweging [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte,Vol. 90, no. 1, 1998, pp. 26-53 [.pdf]
  4. Coreference and modality in multi-speaker discourse [with Jeroen Groenendijk, Frank Veltman]
    In: H. Kamp and B. Partee (eds), Context Dependence in the Analysis of Linguistic Meaning,Stuttgart, I.M.S., 1997, pp. 195-216 [.pdf]
  5. Changing the context: dynamics and discourse [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: E. Doron and S. Wintner (eds), IATL 3: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference and of the Workshop on Discourse,Jerusalem, Israel Association for Theoretical Linguistics,1996, pp.104-128 [.pdf]
  6. Changez le contexte! [with Jeroen Groenendijk, Frank Veltman]
    In: Langages, Vol. 30, 1996, pp. 8-29 [.pdf]
  7. Coreference and modality [with Jeroen Groenendijk, Frank Veltman]
    In: S. Lappin (ed), Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory, Oxford, Blackwell, 1996, pp. 179-216[.pdf]
  8. This might be it [with Jeroen Groenendijk, Frank Veltman]
    In: D. Westerstahl and J. Seligman (eds), Language, Logic and Computation: The 1994 Moraga Proceedings, CSLI, Stanford, 1996, pp. 255-270 [.pdf]
  9. Coreference and contextually restricted quantification [with Jeroen Groenendijk, Frank Veltman]
    In: M. Simons and T. Galloway (ed), Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on Semantics and Linguistic Theory, DMML Publications, Ithaca, NY, , 1995, pp. 112-129 [.pdf]
  10. Dynamic predicate logic [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Linguistics and Philosophy, Vol. 14, no. 1, 1991, pp. 39-100 [.pdf]
  11. Dynamic Montague grammar [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: L. Kalman and L. Polos (eds), Proceedings of the Second Symposion on Logic and Language, Budapest, Eotvos Lorand University Press, 1990, pp. 3-48 [.pdf]
  12. Two theories of dynamic semantics [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: J. van Eijck (ed), Logics in AI, Berlin, Springer, 1990, pp. 55–64 [.pdf]
  13. Context and information in dynamic semantics [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: In B. Elsendoorn and H. Bouma (eds), Working Models of Human Perception, New York, Academic Press, 1988, pp. 457–488 [.pdf]

Questions

  1. Questions [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: J. van Benthem and A. ter Meulen (eds), Handbook of Logic and Language, Amsterdam/Cambridge, Mass., Elsevier/MIT Press, Amsterdam/Cambridge, Mass., 1997, pp. 1055-1124, second edition, 2011, pp. 1059–1131 [.pdf]
  2. Interrogatives and adverbial quantification [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: K. Bimbo and A. Mate (eds), Proceedings of the Fourth Symposium on Logic and Language,Budapest, Aron Publishers, 1993, pp. 1-29 [.pdf]
  3. A note on interrogatives and adverbs of quantification [with Jeroenen Groenendijk]
    In: D. Dowty and C. Barker (eds), Proceedings of the Second Conference on Semantics and Linguistic Theory, Columbus, Ohio,Department of Linguistics, The Ohio State University, 1992, pp. 99-124 [.pdf]
  4. Partitioning Logical Space [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    Annotated Handout, ESSLLI 2, Leuven, August 1990 [.pdf]
  5. Type-shifting rules and the semantics of interrogatives [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: G. Chierchia, B. H. Partee and R. Turner (eds), Properties, Types and Meaning. Vol. II: Semantic Issues, Reidel, Dordrecht, 1988, pp. 21–69
    Reprinted in: P. Portner and B. H. Partee (eds), Formal Semantics. The Essential Readings, Blackwell, Oxford, 2002. pp. 421-456 [.pdf]
  6. Flexibiliteit in de semantiek. Twee argumenten uit de semantiek van vraagzinnen [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: GLOT, Vol. 10, 1987, pp. 373-397 [.pdf]
  7. Studies on the Semantics of Questions and the Pragmatics of Answers [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    PhD Thesis, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1984 [.pdf]
  8. On the semantics of questions and the pragmatics of answers [with Jeroenen Groenendijk]
    In: F. Landman and F. Veltman (eds) Varieties of Formal Semantics, Foris, Dordrecht, 1984, pp. 143–170 [.pdf]
    [Reprinted in: J. Gutiérrez-Rexach (ed), Semantics: Critical Concepts. Vol. V: Operators and Sentence Types, Routledge, London, 2003, pp. 288–313]
  9. Interrogative quantifiers and Skolem-functions [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: K. Ehlich and H. van Riemsdijk (eds), Connectedness in Sentence, Discourse and Text, Department of Linguistics, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, 1983, pp. 71-110 [.pdf]
  10. Semantics of wh-complements [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Linguistics and Philosophy, Vol. 5, no. 2, 1982, pp. 175-233 [.pdf]

Miscellaneous

  1. Philosophy as change
    In: T. Melzer (ed), Atlas of Aspect Change, Rollo Press, Zürich, 2022, pp. 61-79 [.pdf]
    (A slightly different, earlier version in Chinese appeared in:
    Zhongjiang Wang (ed), Philosophy in China Today, Shengda University Press, Zhengzhou, 2022, pp. 86-111)
  2. Approaching Meaning: Formal Semantics and Wittgenstein
    Tsinghua University Press, Beijing, 2022, ISBN 978-7-302-60092-3 [available at JD.com]
  3. A relational perspective of collective agency
    In: Philosophies, 2022, 7(3), 63, https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7030063 [.pdf][with Wang Yiyan]
  4. Episodic problems
    In: K. Stenning and M. Stokhof (eds), Rules, Regularities, Randomness. Festschrift for Michiel van Lambalgen, ILLC/University of Amsterdam, 2022, pp. 129-135 [.pdf]
  5. A brief history of the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation. People, Ideas & Practices. [with Johan van Benthem]
    ILLC/University of Amsterdam, 2021 [.pdf]
  6. Culturele conventies, zekerheden en kritische reflectie
    In: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, 2021, Vol. 113, no. 3, pp. 407-412 [.pdf]
  7. The affordances of art: the role of the individual and the case of literature
    In: Adaptive Behavior, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1177/1059712321995604 [.pdf]
  8. Interview with Louise McNally Sinn und Bedeutung 25, 07/09/2020 [.m4a]
    (Part of a series of four on-line conducted interviews on the early days of formal semantics. Other interviewees: Hans Kamp, Barbara Partee, and Angelika Kratzer. Video and audio of all four interviews can be found here.)
  9. Workshop ‘Logic, modernity, modernism: Chinese and western perspectives’: a write-up of first impressions [with Wang Lu]
    In: Studies in Logic, Vol. 8, no. 2, 2015, pp. 114-123 [.pdf]
  10. The company of objects / Het gezelschap van dingen
    In: T. Melzer and K. Andreasen, Inventory, Haarlem, Johan Deumens, 2008, pp. 13 16, 27-30 [.pdf]
  11. The development of Montague grammar
    In: S. Auroux, K. Koerner, H-J. Niederehe and K. Versteegh (eds), History of the Language Sciences, Volume 3, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin – New York, 2006, pp. 2058–2073 [.pdf]
  12. Review article of Stanley Peters and Esa Saarinen (eds), Processes, Beliefs and Questions, Reidel, Dordrecht, 1982 [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Studies in Language, Vol. 9, no. 3, 1985, pp. 409–427 [.pdf]
  13. Over logische vorm [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: TTT. Tijdschrift voor Tekst- en Taalwetenschap, Vol. 2, no. 4, 1982, pp. 261-305 [.pdf]
  14. A pragmatic analysis of specificity [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: F. Heny (ed), Ambiguities in Intensional Contexts, Dordrecht, Reidel, 1981, pp. 153-180 [.pdf]
  15. The Conway paradox: Its solution in an epistemic framework [with Peter van Emde Boas and Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: J. Groenendijk, T. Janssen and M. Stokhof Formal Methods in the Study of Language (MC Tracts no 135), Amsterdam, Mathematical Centre, 1981, pp. 87-111 [.pdf]
    [Reprinted in: J. Groenendijk, T. Janssen and M. Stokhof Truth, Interpretation, and Information (Grass Series no 2), Dordrecht, Foris, 1984, pp. 159-182]
  16. Semantics, pragmatics and the theory of meaning [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 2, no. 1, 1978 pp. 49-70 [.pdf]
  17. Modality and conversational information [with Jeroen Groenendijk]
    In: Theoretical Linguistics, Vol. 2, no. 1-3, 1975, pp. 61-112 [.pdf]