Pervasive Context-sensitivity in Natural Language: the problems and the solutions

When someone utters a sentence, say (1) "Jill is a sailor", what is required in order to understand their utterance? A standard answer is that pretty much all you need to know is the meanings of the words in the sentence together with knowledge of the way they are put together (i.e. an understanding of sentence structure). However, in recent years this standard answer has come under serious pressure from those who argue that knowledge of linguistic meaning requires a wealth of knowledge about the context of utterance. For instance, imagine that Jill is a solicitor who likes to sail in her spare time. If we are having a conversation about our friends' hobbies and I utter (1) it seems that I say something true; in this context, I'm right when I say that Jill is a sailor. However, now imagine that we are having a conversation about our friends' professions. In this context if I utter (1) it seems that I say something false; in this context it is not right to say of Jill that she is a sailor. What this seems to show is that grasp of linguistic meaning requires an extremely high level of sensitivity to the way in which words are being used in context. That is to say, cases like these seem to demonstrate pervasive context-sensitivity in our language.
However, pervasive context-sensitivity is problematic for it undermines the idea that language understanding could be underpinned by a special, encapsulated mental 'module' which deals just with language. Instead, it seems to show that understanding language requires a wealth of general and cultural knowledge, for instance about what is relevant in a context and what someone else is thinking. If it is right to think that language understanding is this very rich kind of enterprise, then this in turn has serious repercussions for such things as designing interventions for patients who have linguistic impairments (e.g. patients with aphasia, or those on the autistic spectrum) and for computer modelling of language understanding (since identification of relevant contextual features is something which is notoriously difficult within artificial intelligence circles).
The aim of this project, then, is to create an international network of researchers to investigate the evidence for pervasive context-sensitivity, and to explore the theoretical positions which have emerged in this area. For instance, the project will explore whether reactions to cases like (1) show cultural variation, and what an answer either way tells us about the debate. We will look to open up discussion in this area to the input of researchers in cognitive psychology, exploring more thoroughly the empirical predictions made by each philosophical stance in this area and how these predictions might be tested experimentally. Overall, the project will provide a synoptic overview of the problems and solutions which have emerged in the recent, lively debate about pervasive context-sensitivity and identify the best way to take the debate forward, both within the arts and humanities research community and beyond.
The proposed network will primarily involve researchers in the UK and China, making use of extant expertise in both countries but forging new collaborations which we hope will yield exciting discoveries. The network will involve two face-to-face meetings (one in China and one in the UK), together with a range of further activities (including video conferencing, remote PhD supervision, and on-line collaboration via a dedicated, open access website). The network hub will extend to include researchers from beyond the arts and humanities community, early career researchers, and non-academic stakeholders. By instigating an inclusive dialogue of this kind it is hoped that original and important results will be delivered and understanding in this key area will be significantly advanced. Finally, the connections and infrastructure developed for this project will provide a springboard for future UK/China collaboration.

Who will benefit from this research?
This research network will benefit all user-groups where an understanding of the nature of linguistic understanding is important. These include:
- Practitioners treating patients with specific language impairments, e.g. speech and language therapists, and those treating patients with more general cognitive impairments which include a component of linguistic inhibition (e.g. autism).
- Third sector bodies supporting patients in the above categories.
- Those designing the language component of the early years curriculum, both within the UK and beyond.
- Those involved with computer modelling of natural language, e.g. computer (machine) translation.
- The general public with an interest in mind and language.


How will they benefit?
By facilitating the creation of new research collaborations, across international and disciplinary divides, a more robust understanding of the problems and solutions involved in pervasive context-sensitivity will be developed. This understanding will be communicated to user-groups via new and existing PI and CI contacts and via the website. The website and blog will be designed with the end users of research in mind (for instance, the input of end users will be sought at the design stage to find out what would be most useful for them on the site and how information can best be communicated to them, e.g. blog postings, emails, summary reports, etc.). By building research capacity and international collaboration in this area we can:
- Keep a targeted audience informed of new research findings, publications, relevant events, etc.
- Promote closer integration between end users and researchers in this important area
- Promote closer integration between different user-groups (via on-line discussion forums)
- Engage the public in thinking about the issue of pervasive context-sensitivity, and the nature of language understanding and human intelligence more generally.
Finally, skills development is a key component of the role of the local co-ordinators who will develop intellectual and organisational skills giving them a competitive advantage in securing work in any sector.