Quantification and Logical Form

Abstract

This paper deals with the logical form of quantified sentences. Its purpose is to elucidate one plausible sense in which a considerably wide class of quantified sentences can be expressed in a classical first order language. Sections 7.1 and 7.2 provide some preliminary clarifications. Section 7.3 illustrates by means of familiar examples how the truth conditions of quantified sentences can formally be represented. Sections 7.4 and 7.5 show that the method of formalization suggested is consistent with some established undefinability results, and that it can easily be extended to a broad variety of cases. Section 7.6 draws a distinction between logical and non-logical quantifier expressions. Finally, Sect. 7.7 adds some concluding remarks.