Semantics Syllabus

Course Outline

Linguistics 525

Day

Reading

Assignment

Lecture

Background

Mon Jan 23   Seneca kinship assignment Semantics universals, semantics, and word meaning Frame semantics: A non-universalist approach
Mon Jan 30 Chapter 1 Kearns. Meaning. Denotations. Possible worlds. Truth conditions. Compositional semantics. Assignment two Assignment: Intensions, Extensions, and Compositionality Kearns Ch. 1, p.20, Excercise 3 Invitation to semantics Bibliography
Mon Feb 06 Chapter 1. ctd. Simple theories of syntax/semantics interface . Intensions & Semantic rules. Chapter 2. Propositional logic. English sentential conectives: and, or, if (then), only if, unless. Relations. Logical Form: Translating English into logic. Assignment: Kearns (chapter 2) 1[a,d,f,h]; 2, 6, 9[all],11[a,b,c,d,e,g],12[a], 15[all] Intensions & Semantic rules. Intro to logic Logic trees Predicate logic Logic tutorial  
Mon Feb 13 Chapter 2, 3. Propositional logic ctd. Assignment: Translation assignment.    
Mon Feb 20 Chapter 3. The logical quantifiers. Translating English into logic. Quantifier scope ambiguities. Negation. Assignment: Kearns (chapter 3) p. 55-56, 1 [all];2[a,b,c,d,e]; 3[a,d,f],4[a,b] Predicate logic  
Mon Feb 27 Chapter 5. Modality; possible worlds again; necessity, possibility; deontic and epistemic modality. Modality assignment Modality and possible worlds. Possible worlds analysis of conditionals, Logic notes (pdf, html) Logical Form tutorial  
Mon Mar 05 Chapter 6. Quantifiers. First order quantifiers. Generalized quantifiers. Skip 6.10, Carefully read Section 6.9 (Negative polarity items). Assignment: Kearns (chapter 6) 1 [a,c], 2[a,b,d,e,f,g,h,i,j],3[a,b],4[a],5[all] Quantification, Interpreting logic.  
Mon Mar 12 Chapter 6. Definites, indefinites, and groups. Strong vs. weak. Definites and Indefinites assignment. Definite descriptions. Indefinites groups  
Mon Mar 19   Assignments: Old Midterm. Old Midterm answers translation tutorial II General logic help    
Mon Mar 26 H'day H'day H'day H'day
Mon Apr 02 Chapter 8. Aspectual classes. Aspect assignment. Lecture  
Mon Apr 09 Chapter 9. Tense. English tenses. The progressive. The English perfect. Reichenbach's analysis. Assignment: Kearns (chapter 9) 2,4,5,6,7, 8 Tenses  
Mon Apr 16 Chapter 10. Thematic roles. Thematic role hierarchy. Lexical Conceptual Structure. Roles and LCS assignment. Thematic roles, perception, cognition, Lexical Conceptual structure.  
Mon Apr 23 Chapter 11. Events. Adverbial modification. Assignment: Kearns (chapter 11) 1,2,3,4,6,7 Lecture  
Mon Apr 30 Chapter 1. Implicature and presupposition. Assignment: Kearns (chapter 1) 4,5, 8, 10 Grice, presupposition, implicature and scales  
Mon May 07 Chapter 1 - 10. Review.