Aspects of compositionality (Q1841518)

Three kinds of compositionality are defined, the criterion being the determination of the applicability of a semantic attribute \(A\) to \(E\) by the applicability i) just of \(A\) to the components of \(E\), ii) of all semantic attributes to the components of \(E\), iii) of attributes from ii) satisfying some constraints. The authors expose Hodges' and Cameron's results concerning the questions whether ``Hintikka interpretation'' of first-order sentences and of Independence Sentences -- not compositional as such -- can be extended to a compositional interpretation (case ii). Both questions are answered positively. Since the principle of compositionality can always be implemented, the question of its emptiness arises. The authors show that Camerons's and Hodges' results prove that compositionality in the sense iii) cannot be in general attained for IF languages.