sentential function
- noun
- /sɛnˈtɛnʃəl ˈfʌŋkʃən/
- Specialized
:
función oracional
- In logic, a sentential function can be transformed into a true sentence by substituting its variables with specific values.
Examples
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His account doesn't explain what it means for a simple sentential function to be satisfied by an object.
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True, he provides a recursive procedure for determining satisfaction, but this only tells us when compound sentential functions are satisfied once we know when simple ones are satisfied.
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So the idea is that the meanings of the elements in our map are determined by causal processes, and these meanings link the satisfaction conditions of sentential functions to states of affairs in the world.
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Understanding a sentential function is essential for grasping basic concepts in mathematical logic.
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When we replace the variables in a sentential function with actual numbers, we create a complete logical statement.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'sentential' (relating to sentences) and 'function' (a mapping or relation) give a general clue that this is a function related to sentences, so some sense of the concept is inferable from the constituents. However, the precise technical meaning (a formal expression with variables that becomes a sentence when variables are replaced) is specialized and requires domain knowledge from logic/mathematics, so it is not fully predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sentential function is like a sentence with blanks and a rule to fill them: the word function is the rule and sentential points to a sentence. When you put names or numbers into the blanks the rule 'becomes a sentence', so the phrase means an expression that makes a complete sentence when its parts are filled.
