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It is not the case that Kaplan's own formal semantics for 'now' requires a character-content distinction, not a bare ⟨u,e⟩ index pair, making the pair insufficient.
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Reasons For
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Reason for
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1.
Index pairs suffice functionally: ⟨u,e⟩ can encode all needed distinctions if character roles are assigned during grammar, not semantics.
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2.
Character-content distinction may be notational: the claimed distinction could be formally equivalent to indexed expressions, not substantively novel.
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Reasons Against
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Reason against
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1.
Character determines content: 'now' has constant character but context-variable content, requiring distinction from mere index pairs.
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2.
Bare indices cannot explain linguistic competence: speakers grasp 'now' without knowing the actual context, proving character is semantic.
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3.
Compositional semantics requires character: complex sentences with 'now' need character-level rules to predict truth conditions systematically.
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