A Note on Frege's Semantics

Abstract

The Fregean theory of syntax says what the meaningful parts of sentences are, and which combinations of those parts are meaningful. The Fregean theory of meaning says how the meaningful parts of a meaningful expression contribute to that expression's sense and reference. The theory of syntax discerns two basic kinds of meaningful parts of sentences: proper names and function-names. Each function-name has a type determined by the number of argument places it has and the type of expression appropriate to each argument place. Every complex proper name is the result of completing a function name with expressions of the appropriate types (and conversely).