  In 1975 Sylvan took up the idea of a universal semantics directly (although the title of his paper “Universal Semantics?” is in the uncertain form of a question). Inspired by recent advances in Montague grammar and categorial languages, he became speculatively interested in whether there is some common form beneath all natural languages, that could be adequately represented though logical symbolism. Specifically, he was interested in some “leading assumptions” of the time, namely (1975, 327):