Archive of entries posted by Peter Alrenga

Reading for Tu 9/29: Kearns 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35) & Lobner 4.2-4.3 (pgs. 62-73)

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For next Tuesday’s class, read the following: 1.  Sections 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35) of the Kearns textbook. (This was also the assigned reading for today’s (Thursday’s) class.  Now that we’ve discussed Propositional Logic in class, you should go back and review these sections to solidify your understanding.) 2.  Lobner 4.2-4.3 (pgs. 62-73). I’ve posted a short …

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Homework 1 Answer Key Now Posted

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The HW1 answer key is now available.  As a courtesy to my fellow Semantics instructors at other universities, I’ve put the answer key in the password-protected “Readings” section of our website.  (Remember that the password is listed on the syllabus.) The overall class performance on this assignment was quite high…keep it up!

Reading for Th 9/24: Kearns 11.1.3 (pgs. 258-260) and Kearns 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35)

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For this Thursday’s class, read the following: 1.  Section 11.1.3 (pgs. 258-260) of the Kearns textbook. This section briefly reviews Scalar Implicatures, which we talked about in today’s (Tuesday’s) class.  Be sure to have a look at this reading, since it provides several other examples of “linguistic scales”. 2.  Sections 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35) of the …

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Reading for Tu 9/22: Levinson 3.2.3 (126-132)

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For next Tuesday’s class, read the following: 1.  Section 3.2.3 (pgs. 126-132) of the Levinson chapter on Implicature.  (You’ve already read sections 3.0 and 3.1 for an earlier class; section 3.2.3 is part of the same PDF document.) For the Levinson reading, focus on the discussion of generalized vs. particularized implicatures.  You should also read …

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Homework 2 (due 9/24 @ the beg. of class)

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Your second homework assignment is now available for download (just click the link below for a PDF version).  It will be due on Thursday, September 24, at the beginning of class. Homework 2 (due 9/24 @ beg. of class) (Before you begin the assignment, make sure to review the class expectations regarding your homework write-ups …

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Reading for Tue 9/15 & Thu 9/17: Grice, “Logic & Conversation”

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For next week, read the paper entitled “Logic and Conversation” by H.P. Grice.  You can find a PDF version of it in the “Readings” section of the website. (Remember that the readings are password-protected:  you can find the password on your printed copy of the syllabus.) Grice’s paper (and the lectures from which it originates) …

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Homework 1 (due 9/17 @ beg. of class)

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Your first homework assignment is now available for download (just click the link below for a PDF version).  It will be due on Thursday, September 17, at the beginning of class. Homework 1 (due 9/17 at beg. of class) Before starting the assignment make sure to do the following: 1.  Review the class expectations regarding …

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Handout on Entailment (including tips for using the tests)

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I’ve put together a handout that summarizes today’s discussion about entailment.  I’ve also included a bit more information about our tests for entailment, including a few helpful tips for applying them.  In particular, I’ve tried to clarify the uncertainty about when to use but or in fact when applying the tests. Handout on Entailment Entailment …

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Reading for Th 9/10: Levinson 3.0-3.1 (97-118)

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I’ve posted a PDF containing sections 3.0-3.2 of Levinson, Chapter 3 in the “Readings” section.  For this Thursday’s lecture (9/10), read sections 3.0 and 3.1. (Remember that the readings are password-protected:  you can find the password on your printed copy of the syllabus.) (You’ll also be reading section 3.2.3 for Thursday, 9/22, which is why …

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