组合原则

组合原则是逻辑语义学的基本原则，表现为函项的思想和句法与语义的对应。就构造逻辑系统而言，组合原则是一种方法论。作为延伸到自然语言形式语义学的产物，组合原则起到一种核心灵魂的作用。组合原则在理论层面和应用领域皆获得一些有价值的结果。自然语言违反组合原则的实例主要表现为歧义现象、语用因素和句法与语义不对应的情况，这正是调整组合原则的适用条件从而促进形式语义学发展的契机。

The Principle of Compositionality

The principle of compositionality is the fundamental principle in logical semantics. It embodies the method of function and isomorphism between syntax and semantics, It can be simply stated as the following： if an expression E is constituted by E1 and E2 under the constraint of some syntactic rule, then the semantic meaning of E, i.e. M（E）, is acquired by the combination of E1＇s meaning M（E1） and E2＇s meaning M （ E2 ） abiding by some semantic rule. Strictly speaking, the principle of compositionality indicates that the meaning of a complex expression is a function of the meaning of its constituent expressions and the syntactic rules used to combine them. As a methodology in constructing logical systems, compositionality requires that every syntactic rule should be associated with a semantic rule that acts on the meanings of the constituents combined by that syntactic rule. The application of modern logic to the study of natural languages started from late 1960s, during which time a new branch of formal semantics, led by Montague Grammar, came into shape. Compositionality constitutes a core in applications of formal semantics in Natural Language, obtaining some practical and theoretical achievements, such as computer information technology and the translation of logic systems. Though compositionality is a pure theoretical mathematic concept, it is inevitable that, in the flexible and complex natural languages, there exist some counterexamples to the principle, given rise by ambiguity, pragmatic factors, and irregularity between syntax and semantics. It is those attempts to adjust the felicitous conditions of compositionality that contribute considerably to the progress achieved in formal semantics.