[YG Conlang Archives] > [jboske group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >


[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: [jboske] Quantifiers, Existential Import, and all that stuff



On Sunday 03 March 2002 20:15, Bob LeChevalier (lojbab) wrote:

> (Of course we could get into philosophical hot water if we debate
> whether "not all" = "less than all" if "all" refers to something
> that does not exist, but I'll leave that to someone else %^).

The rule I have always seen is that ~A~ is equivalent to E, so "not 
all"/~(Ax)P is the same as "for some, not"/(Ex)~P, and therefore "not 
all" entails existence. But only in a strictly logical context, not 
in English generally. Certainly we can use "not all" in a purely 
fictional context, such as "Not all Klingons are bad," without 
suggesting that Klingons exist outside of ST. (ST is *not* a possible 
world, but I'm not ready to tackle those problems yet.)

> lojbab

-- 
Edward Cherlin
edward@hidden.email
Does your Web site work?