---
layout: linguistics
title: linguistics/semantics
---

# notes on semantics

Semantics is the study of **meaning**.

How do we know what sentences are true and which are false?<br>
What does it *mean* for a sentence to be true?<br>
What conditions must hold for a sentence to be true?

Formal semantics attempts to answer those questions by providing a *framework* for determining what *conditions* must hold for a sentence to be true.

This framework is [first-order/predicate logic](../mathematics/logic) and the [simply-typed lambda calculus](../plt/lambda-calculus). On top of this, we often build set theory, relying on *characteristic functions* of the lambda calculus to denote *set membership*.


## Resources
- ✨ [Invitation to Formal Semantics](https://eecoppock.info/bootcamp/semantics-boot-camp.pdf)