The final two reading assignments are listed below: 1. Â Kearns 6.2-6.3 (UPDATE: Â Having had a closer look at the Kearns readings, I’ve decided that section 6.3 is not necessary. Â Most likely, we will not have enough to discuss the topic of that section (the mass/count distinction amongst nouns) . Â But you should still read section …
Continue reading ‘December reading assignments: Kearns and Vendler’ »
For our next class (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving break), please read the excerpt from David Dowty’s Word Meaning and Montague Grammar (section 2.2, pgs. 51-71). Â In our final classes, we will look at some issues in the lexical semantics of verbs, adjectives, and nouns. Â The Dowty excerpt discusses certain basic distinctions that can be made …
For next Tuesday’s class, please read section 4.6 (pgs. 85-89) of the Kearns textbook.
For this Thursday’s class, please read sections 4.3-4.4 (pgs. 73-81) of the Kearns textbook, as well as sections 5.2-5.3 (pgs. 94-99). (Note: Â the syllabus also lists section 4.5 as required reading for Thursday, but I’ve made it optional. Â If you have a chance, you should have a look–the topic is interesting, but I’m afraid that …
Continue reading ‘Reading for Th 11/19: Kearns 4.3-4.4 (73-81) ; Kearns 5.2-5.3 (94-99)’ »
F0r next Tuesday’s class, please read sections 4.1-4.2 (pgs. 67-72) of the Kearns textbook, as well as section 5.1 (pg. 93-94). Â On Tuesday, we’ll see how First-Order Predicate Logic can be extended to translate sentences like “Two professors are vain” and “The professor is vain”. Â We’ll also discuss the problem posed by sentences like “Most …
Continue reading ‘Reading for Tu 11/17: Kearns 4.1-4.2 (67-72) ; Kearns 5.1 (93-94)’ »
For this Thursday’s class, please read the excerpt from Emmon Bach’s Informal Lectures on Formal Semantics. The Bach excerpt provides a concise and clear summary of predicate logic. Much of the material will be recognizable to you after today’s (Tuesday’s) lecture. On Thursday, we will begin discussing variables and quantification, which comes up later in …
For next Tuesday’s class, read section 4.3.1 in the Levinson chapter on Presupposition. Â (It’s in the same PDF as the other Levinson readings on Presupposition.)
The required reading for next Thursday’s class is section 4.3.2 of the Levinson chapter on Presupposition. Â (You’ve already read sections 4.0-4.2; section 4.3.2 is part of the same PDF document.) As I mentioned in today’s lecture, I’m also posting the following paper in the “Readings” section of the website, which is optional for next Thursday: …
Continue reading ‘Reading for Th 10/15: Levinson 4.3.2 (191-198) (and optional Karttunen paper)’ »
I’ve posted a PDF containing the entirety of Levinson, Chapter 4 in the “Readings” section. For next week, read sections 4.0-4.2. (Remember that the readings are password-protected. You can find the password on your printed copy of the syllabus.) The Levinson chapter deals with presupposition, a type of inference distinct from both entailment and implicature. …
Continue reading ‘Reading for Tu 10/6 & Th 10/8: Levinson 4.0-4.2 (167-185)’ »
For next Tuesday’s class, read the following: 1. Â Sections 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35) of the Kearns textbook. (This was also the assigned reading for today’s (Thursday’s) class. Â Now that we’ve discussed Propositional Logic in class, you should go back and review these sections to solidify your understanding.) 2. Â Lobner 4.2-4.3 (pgs. 62-73). I’ve posted a short …
Continue reading ‘Reading for Tu 9/29: Kearns 2.1-2.2 (pgs. 25-35) & Lobner 4.2-4.3 (pgs. 62-73)’ »