Introduction to Semantics

3 units

Semantics is the branch of linguistics which studies how speakers assign meaning to words, sentences, and larger units of discourse. We combine perspectives from both linguistics and philosophy to explore a variety of topics including polysemy, compositionality, quantification, anaphora, definite descriptions, attitude reports, presupposition, and implicature. Prerequisite: Ling 170D or Phil 301G or permission of instructor.