Problems with Separability

• Lexicon:
  • New uses of words.

    You can verb anything. -- William Safire

  • Metaphor: The computer is down.

• Syntax:
  • Ambiguity: hundreds of syntactically possible interpretations of ordinary sentences.

  • Agreement:

    Bill and John love Mary.

  • Elision: omission of parts of a sentence.

    He gave John fruit and Mary candy.

• Discourse:
  • The meaning of a sentence depends on context.