Semantic composition in language must be closely related to semantic composition in thought. But the way the two processes are explained differs considerably. Focusing primarily on propositional content, language theorists generally take semantic composition to be a truth-conditional process. Focusing more on extensional content, cognitive theorists take it to be a form of concept combination. But though deep, this disconnect is not irreconcilable. Both areas of theory assume that extensional (i.e., denotational) meanings must play a role. As this article demonstrates, they also have the potential to fulfill a mediative function. What is shown is that extensional meanings are themselves inherently compositional. On this basis, it becomes possible to model semantic composition without assuming the existence of any specifically linguistic/conceptual apparatus. Examples are presented to demonstrate this direct style of modeling. Abstract connections between composition in thought and language can then be made, raising the prospect of a more unified, theoretical account of semantic composition.

中文翻译：

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外延叠加及其与语言和思想组合性的关系

语言中的语义构成必须与思想中的语义构成密切相关。但是解释这两个过程的方式有很大不同。语言理论家主要关注命题内容，通常将语义组合视为一个真值条件过程。认知理论家更多地关注外延内容，将其视为概念组合的一种形式。但这种脱节虽然很深，但并非不可调和。这两个理论领域都假定外延（即外延）意义必须发挥作用。正如本文所展示的，它们也有可能发挥中介作用。所显示的是外延意义本身是内在的组合。在此基础上，无需假设任何特定语言/概念装置的存在，就可以对语义组合进行建模。提供了示例来演示这种直接的建模风格。然后可以在思想和语言中的构成之间建立抽象联系，从而提高对语义构成的更统一的理论解释的前景。