This course offers an introduction to semantics, the study of the meaning of utterances. We will focus on how we can derive the meaning of a
sentence by combining the meaning
of its parts. In this respect, basic
knowledge of syntax is a prerequisite for this class. We will discuss different types of ambiguities and we will explore tools to account for these ambiguities. We will start with basic set theory and then we will introduce a formal language
based on lambda-calculus, a model for the exploration of propositional
meaning. Topics that we will focus on involve: the semantics of
quantifiers (e.g. every, some), the way pronouns like she, his
get their reference, the meaning of verbal predicates and the notion of
events, the role of context
and prosody in the interpretation of utterances.
The course will draw materials from various textbooks, including the following:
- Paul Elbourne. 2011. Meaning: A slim guide to semantics.
- Paul Portner. 2005. What is Meaning? Fundamentals of Formal Semantics
- Elizabeth Coppock and Lucas Champollion. 2019. Formal Semantics Boot Camp.
- Irene Heim & Angelika Kratzer. 1997. Semantics in Generative Grammar.
As this is an on-line course, taught asynchronously, for every course there will be a video uploaded regularly and all necessary course material. Every time there will be a small optional homework which we can then discuss. There will occasionally be voluntary Zoom
meetings for questions and discussions. In addition there will be two obligatory homework assignments
and one take-home exam.
- Course owner: Despina Oikonomou