First treatment of formal semantic issues for a 'formal' system -- Q in "Vacuous Names", pp. 127ff

I say the language for that section, V, subsection A, is semantic:

Grice writes:

"If alpha dominates phi, then, for

ANY INTERPRETATION -- [i.e. semantic interpretation. Speranza

Z, phi will be true on Z only if

alpha is non-vacuous..."

and so on.

I.e. Grice is adhering to Benson Mates's treatment of a semantics for a formal system in "Elementary logic", with interpretations for the assignation of truth values. And so on.

While the issue is SPECIFIC ("Marmaduke Bloggs wasn't at the party"), the whole format should give us a clear clue as to what Grice meant for a formal semantics for a system.

It deals with interpretations for the assignment of truth values.

He notes that his system is "formally decidable". I.e. On p. 128, since this is a more-or-less empirical account (case by case), "whether or not [the assignment of truth values takes place and how] it is the case will be formally decidable," Grice writes.

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