A singular term is an expression whose semantic function, when used in a particular context, is to refer to (denote, designate)—that is, to stand for—a single thing. A definite description is a singular noun phrase beginning with the definite article "the" or with a possessive noun or pronoun, as "the author of Waverley" and "my brilliant career." Proper names, such as "Shakespeare" and "London," are generally classified along with definite descriptions, individual variables, pronouns, and some other indexicals as singular terms. A French speaker who utters the words "Londres est jolie" asserts the same thing as an English speaker uttering "London is pretty." The thing asserted is a proposition, that London is pretty. The fundamental semantic role of a declarative sentence is to express (or to contain) a proposition (q.v.), which is the semantic content of the sentence. The...