Marcus Kracht Bücher

Die Studie untersucht die materielle Manifestation von Wissen und Wissenstechniken, mit dem Ziel, die Kosten der Wissensorganisation zu quantifizieren und die Zukunft der Wissensgesellschaft zu bewerten. Das Buch behandelt das Thema umfassend aus philosophischer, physikalischer, logischer, sprachwissenschaftlicher, gesellschaftlicher und historischer Perspektive. Der zentrale Gedanke ist, dass Wissen an einem materiellen Substrat gebunden ist und ohne dieses nicht existieren kann. Sowohl die Erlangung als auch die Bewahrung von Wissen erfordern erhebliche Energie. Die Wissensgesellschaft muss sich fragen, ob eine Wissenskrise als Folge der aktuellen Energie- und Rohstoffkrise droht. Der erste Teil der Erörterungen widmet sich der Frage, was Wissen ist und wie die Gesellschaft es verfügbar hält. Dies ist eine komplexe Herausforderung, die umfassende Infrastrukturen erfordert, um Wissen zu speichern und zu verbreiten. Der zweite Teil beleuchtet die kulturhistorische Entwicklung des Wissens, beginnend mit dem Buchdruck bis hin zur Digitalisierung und dem Internet, die neue Organisationsformen des Wissens hervorgebracht haben. Trotz der Vorteile der Digitalisierung zeigen sich problematische Aspekte, da die massenhafte Datenerzeugung erhebliche Energiemengen benötigt. Langfristig könnte die Kostensituation unsere Wissenskultur gefährden, indem sie zu einer Entpersonalisierung des Wissens führt und dessen gesellschaftlichen Kontext

This book studies language(s) and linguistic theories from a mathematical point of view. Starting with ideas already contained in Montague's work, it develops the mathematical foundations of present day linguistics. It equips the reader with all the background necessary to understand and evaluate theories as diverse as Montague Grammar, Categorial Grammar, HPSG and GB. The mathematical tools are mainly from universal algebra and logic, but no particular knowledge is presupposed beyond a certain mathematical sophistication that is in any case needed in order to fruitfully work within these theories. The presentation focuses on abstract mathematical structures and their computational properties, but plenty of examples from different natural languages are provided to illustrate the main concepts and results. In contrast to books devoted to so-called formal language theory, languages are seen here as semiotic systems, that is, as systems of signs. A language sign correlates form with meaning. Using the principle of compositionality it is possible to gain substantial insight into the interaction between form and meaning in natural languages.

Exploring the concept of compositionality in linguistics, this book presents the argument that non-compositional languages exist. It delves into how syntactic structures can be shaped by the necessity to create a compositional grammar, offering a fresh perspective on language theory since the 1970s. The work challenges traditional views and contributes to ongoing debates in the field, making it a significant addition for linguists and language enthusiasts alike.

The present paper deals with the semantics of locative expressions. Our approach is model-theoretic, using concepts from topology and linear algebra. We shall demonstrate that locatives consist of two layers: the first layer defines a location and the second a way of moving with respect to that location. There is to our knowledge no language in which locations form a morphologically independent class of words. Hence, the elements defining these layers, called localiser and modaliser, tend to form a unit, which is typically either an apposition or a case marker. It will be seen that this layering is not only semantically manifest but in many languages also morphologically. There are numerous languages in which the morphology is sufficiently transparent with respect to the layering. The consequences of this theory are manifold. For example, we shall show that it explains the contrast between English and Finnish concerning directionals, which is discussed in Fong. In addition, we shall be concerned with the question of orientation of locatives, as discussed in Nam. We propose that nondirectional locatives are oriented to the event, while directional locatives are oriented to certain arguments, called movers.