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<p>utrecht</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''Opaque context''' is a [[context]] in which substitution of two expressions with the same [[reference]] [[salva veritate]] (i.e. keeping the [[truth value]] constant) is impossible. The verb ''hope'' in (ia) creates an opaque context. This can be seen by replacing ''the murderer of Smith'' with an expression which is assumed to have the same reference (in this case ''John's brother''). The result in (ic) is a sentence which does not need to have the same truth value as (ia). One has only to imagine a situation in which John does not know that his beloved brother is the unknown murderer.<br /> <br /> (i) a John hopes that the murderer of Smith will be hanged<br /> b The murderer of Smith is his (i.e. John's) brother<br /> c John hopes that his brother will be hanged<br /> <br /> Many different elements may create opaque contexts: words that express propositional attitudes (like ''know'' and ''believe, fear'' and ''hate''), verbs like ''seek'' and ''want'', temporal and modal expressions. Contexts of direct and indirect speech may also be opaque contexts. The pattern in (i) can be explained by making a distinction between [[extension]] and [[intension]]. ''The murderer of Smith'' and ''John's brother'' may have the same extension in a particular situation, but their intension, their meaning is different. A context which not opaque is called a transparent context.<br /> <br /> === Links ===<br /> <br /> [http://www2.let.uu.nl/UiL-OTS/Lexicon/zoek.pl?lemma=Opaque+context&amp;lemmacode=473 Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics]<br /> <br /> === References ===<br /> <br /> * Gamut, L.T.F. 1991. ''Logic, language, and meaning,'' Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.<br /> <br /> {{dc}}<br /> [[Category:Semantics]]</div>

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