24.910
Advanced Topics in Linguistic Analysis
In-depth study of an advanced topic in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax or semantics, with a focus on the interfaces among these grammar components. Provides practice in written and oral communication.
Spring 2009 · Topics in Linguistic Theory: Propositional Attitudes
Topics
- Introduction and preview
- Semantics 1: possible world semantics for attitudes
- Semantics 2: presupposition and sequence of tense
- Semantics 3: self-locating attitudes and logophors (cont.)
- Syntax 1: CP structure and embedded clauses
- Syntax 2: control and raising
- Pragmatics 2: conversation and common ground, context set, assertion, presupposition, and applications
- Pragmatics 2: conversation and common ground and presupposition (cont.)
- Pragmatics 2: presupposition and embedding verbs (cont.)
- Student presentations 3
Readings
- Heim, Irene, and Angelika Kratzer. “Truth-Conditional Semantics and the Fregean Program,” “Executing the Fregean Program,” and “Semantics and Syntax.” Chapters 1 to 3 in Semantics in Generative Grammar . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1998, pp. 1-32. ISBN: 9780631197133.
- Karttunen, Lauri. “Implicative Verbs.” Language 47, no. 2 (June 1971): 340-358.
- ———. Some Observations on Factivity. Papers in Linguistics 4, no. 1 (1971): 55-69.
- Morgan, Jerry. “On the Criterion of Identity for Noun Phrase Deletion.” In Papers from the Sixth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society . Chicago, IL: Chicago Linguistic Society, 1970, pp. 380-389. ISBN: 9780914203018.
- Lewis, David. “Attitudes De Dicto and De Se .” Philosophical Review 88, no. 4 (October 1979): 513-543.
- Perry, John. “Frege on Demonstratives.” Philosophical Review 86, no. 4 (October 1977): 474-497.
- ———. “The Problem of the Essential Indexical.” Noûs 13, no. 1 (March 1979): 3-21.
- Chierchia, Gennaro. “Anaphora and Attitudes De Se .” In Semantics and Contextual Expression . Edited by Renate Bartsch, Jan F. A. K. van Benthem, and P. van Emde Boas. Providence, RI: Foris Publications, 1990, pp. 1-32. ISBN: 9789067654432.
- 7 · Syntax 2: control and raising · Carnie, Andrew. “NP/DP Movement,” and “Raising, Control, and Empty Categories.” Chapters 9 and 10 in Syntax: A Generative Introduction . Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 9780631225430.
- Stalnaker, Robert. “Pragmatics.” Synthese 22, nos. 1-2 (December 1970): 272-289.
- ———. “Presuppositions.” Journal of Philosophical Logic 2 (1973): 447-457.
- ———. “Pragmatic Presuppositions.” In Semantics and Philosophy . Edited by Milton Munitz and Peter Under. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1974. ISBN: 9780814753668. Reprinted in Context and Content: Essays on Intentionality in Speech and Thought . New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 47-62. ISBN: 9780198237075.
- ———. “Common Ground.” Linguistics and Philosophy 25, nos. 5-6 (December 2002): 701-721.
- Karttunen, Lauri. “Presuppositions of Compound Sentences.” Linguistic Inquiry 4, no. 2 (1973): 169-193.
- Stalnaker, Robert. “Pragmatic Presuppositions.” In Semantics and Philosophy . Edited by Milton Munitz and Peter Under. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1974. ISBN: 9780814753668. Reprinted in Context and Content: Essays on Intentionality in Speech and Thought . New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 47-62. ISBN: 9780198237075.
Spring 2007 · Topics in Linguistic Theory: Laboratory Phonology
The goal of this course is to prepare you to engage in experimental investigations of questions related to linguistic theory, focusing on phonetics and phonology.
Readings
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics . 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2003. ISBN: 9781405101233.
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. Chapter 1.
- Ladefoged, Peter. A Course in Phonetics . 4th ed. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle, 2000. ISBN: 9780155073197.
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. Chapter 1, 2 (pp. 19-33), and 3.
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. Chapters 5 and 6.
- 4 · Adaptive dispersion · Liljencrants, Johan, and Björn Lindblom. “Numerical Simulation of Vowel Quality Systems: The Role of Perceptual Contrast.” Language 48 (1972): 839-62.
- Ladefoged, Peter. Elements of Acoustic Phonetics . 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Illinois, 1995, chapters 10 and 11, pp. 160-183. ISBN: 9780226467641.
- Wright, R. “A Review of Perceptual Cues and Cue Robustness.” In Phonetically-Based Phonology . Edited by Bruce Hayes, Robert Kirchner, and Donca Steriade. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780521825788.
- McMurray, B., M. K. Tanenhaus, and R. N. Aslin. “Gradient Effects of Within-Category Phonetic Variation on Lexical Access.” Cognition 86, no. 2 (2002): B33-B42.
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. Chapters 7 and 8.
- Fujimura, Osamu, M. Macchi, and L. A. Streeter. “Perception of Stop Consonants with Conflicting Transitional Cues: A Cross-Linguistic Study.” Language and Speech 21 (1978): 337-346.
- Johnson, Keith. Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics. pp. 28-31 (on pitch tracking).
- Ladd, D. Robert. Intonational Phonology . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1997, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780521475754.
- Welby, Pauline. “Effects of Pitch Accent Position, Type, and Status on Focus Projection.” Language and Speech 46 (2003): 53-81.
- Selkirk, Elisabeth. “Sentence Prosody: Intonation, Stress, and Phrasing.” In The Handbook of Phonological Theory . Edited by J. Goldsmith. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1995. ISBN: 9780631180623.
- 10 · Effects of the lexicon and context on speech perception · Fowler, C. A., and J. Housum. “Talkers’ Signaling of ‘New’ and ‘Old’ Words in Speech and Listeners’ Perception and Use of the Distinction.” Journal of Memory and Language 26 (1987): 489-504.
- Labov, Wiliam, Sharon Ash, and Charles Boberg. The Atlas of North American English . New York, NY: Mouton de Gruyter, 2006. ISBN: 9783110167467.
- Norris, Dennis, James McQueen, and Anne Cutler. “Perceptual Learning in Speech.” Cognitive Psychology 47, no. 2 (2003): 204-238.
Spring 2003 · Topics in Linguistics Theory
Topics
- Introduction
- More Introduction
- Typology and Semantics
- Performatives, Epistemic Modality
- Evidentials and Epistemic Modality
- Direct Evidentiality
- Indirect Evidentiality
- Embedded Assertions
- Evidentials in Conditionals
- Faller’s Ideas
- Last Class
Readings
- Garrett, Edward. “Evidentiality and Assertion in Tibetan.” UCLA PhD Dissertation. 2001.
- Faller, Chapter 1.
- Garrett, Chapter 2.
- Optional Readings:
- Faller, Martina. “Remarks on Evidential Hierarchies.” In The Construction of Meaning . Edited by David I. Beaver, Luis D. Casillas Martínez, Brady Z. Clark, and Stefan Kaufmann. Stanford: CSLI, 2002.
- Dendale, Patrick, and Tasmowski, Liliane. “Introduction: Evidentiality and Related Notions.” Journal of Pragmatics 33 (2001): 339–348.
- Plungian, Vladimir A. “The Place of Evidentiality within the Universal Grammatical Space.” Journal of Pragmatics 33 (2001): 349–357.
- Lyons, J. Semantics. Cambridge University Press: 1977.
- Urmson, J.O. “Parenthetical Verbs.” Mind 61: 192-212.
- SES #: 3 · TOPICS: Typology and Semantics · READINGS: Faller, Chapter 2.
- SES #: 4 · TOPICS: Performatives, Epistemic Modality · READINGS: Garrett, Chapter 2.
- SES #: 5 · TOPICS: Evidentials and Epistemic Modality · READINGS: Faller, Chapter 3.
- SES #: 6 · TOPICS: Direct Evidentiality Best Possible Grounds · READINGS: Garrett, Chapter 3. Faller, Chapter 4.
- SES #: 7 · TOPICS: Indirect Evidentiality · READINGS: Faller, Chapter 5.
- Garrett, Chapter 5. Heycock on Embedded Root Phenomena
- SES #: 9 · TOPICS: Evidentials in Conditionals · READINGS: Garrett, Chapter 7.
- SES #: 10 · TOPICS: Faller’s Ideas · READINGS: Faller, Chapter 6 and 7.
- Garrett in his chapter 2 makes crucial reference to a paper by Roumyana Izvorski (now Pancheva):
- Some Questions on Garrett — Chapter 2:
- As you’re reading Garrett’s chapter 2, here are some questions to think about.
- “Epistemic Modality and Truth Conditions.” To appear in Approaches to Modality (provisional title). Edited by A. Klinge, and H. Muller, 2003.
- Faller, Martina. “Semantics and Pragmatics of Evidentials in Cuzco Quechua.” Stanford PhD Dissertation. 2002.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: ( 24.901 , 24.902 , and 24.903 ) or permission of instructor Acad Year 2027-2028: U (Fall) Acad Year 2028-2029: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-S Can be repeated for credit.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2009
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2007
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2003
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.