ABSTRACT
The early 1970’s, the generative vs. interpretative semantics split has become meaningless, with the disintegration of generative linguistics into so many subtheories that it is hard to keep track of them. The best way to get some perspective on the question is to ask how a theory of language ought to fit into a general theory of cognition, human development, and social interaction. The point is that scenarios provide a way of structuring our experience, and the structure of scenarios is reflected in the structure of language. Most approaches to semantics in the tradition of generative grammar, whether generative semantics or interpretive semantics, and in the logical tradition as well try to base a theory of meaning on a theory of truth. Such cases have led to try to construct theories of grammar in which linguistic rules play a direct role in processing, in particular, the theory of cognitive grammar and the theory of linguistic gestalts.
