ABSTRACT
A simple theory of meaning is sketched for the sake of comparison with more complicated theories to be explained later. Naïve semantics begins with atomic sentences, and breaks them up into predicates and singular terms (which includes proper names). Each atomic sentence is composed of one ‘pure’ predicate and one or more singular terms. The meaning of a singular term is its referent, the object for which it stands; the meaning of a predicate is the universal or attribute for which it stands. The meaning of a sentence is the proposition for which the sentence stands. The truth-value of an atomic sentence is determined by its correspondence or lack of correspondence with reality: it is true if there is a fact composed as the sentence says, and false if there is no such fact. To begin to cope with sentences that are not atomic the devices of sentential and quantificational logic are added.
