Semantics Pragmatics

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course begins with a three-week introduction to formal tools used in semantics and pragmatics (set theory, basic logic, functions). Then, the bulk of the semester is spend on reading and discussion of original papers and overview articles covering a representative range of contemporary research in these areas. We may work with readings on the following topics, as well as others based on class preferences: argument structure, predicates, adjectives, definiteness, quantification, tense, aspect, modality, negation, conjunction, presupposition, implicature, topic and focus, information structure, discourse particles. The goal of the course is to give students a practical understanding of the nature of linguistic meaning, an ability to read in semantics/pragmatics, and a foundation for advanced courses in these areas.