For next Tuesday 2/7, please read sections 2.1 and 2.2 (pgs. 24-32) of the Kearns textbook. The reading describes the language of propositional logic, a precisely-defined formal language that allows us to represent the truth conditions of certain English sentences. We will spend next week becoming acquainted with the language of propositional logic, and seeing how semanticists use logic to investigate literal meaning.
HW1 Answer Key now available
The HW1 answer key is now available for download. So as to restrict their availability, I’ll be posting your HW answer keys in the “Readings” section of this website–just use the password listed on your syllabus to access them.
HW2 (due Th 2/2 @ beg. of class)
Your second homework assignment is now available for download–just click on the link below for a PDF version. It will be due on Thursday, February 2, at the beginning of class.
Reading for Tu 1/31: remainder of Levinson §3.1 (pgs. 109-118)
For Tuesday 1/31, please finish section 3.1 (pgs. 109-118) of the Levinson chapter on Conversational Implicature (the first part of which was assigned for Thursday 1/26–a PDF version is available in the Readings section of this website).
Handout on basic semantic notions, entailment
Here’s a handout which (i) summarizes some of the key concepts we’ve introduced in class so far, and (ii) summarizes our discussion of entailments, as well as our tests for identifying them. Since these tests do not appear anywhere in your readings, I thought that this would be a useful addition to your notes. You should certainly feel free to refer to the handout when completing your homework–note in particular that the first problem asks you to use the entailment tests to justify your answers.
Reading for Th 1/26: Levinson §3.0-3.1 (pgs. 97-109)
For this Thursday 1/26, please read sections 3.0 and 3.1 (pgs. 97-109) of the following book chapter, which can be downloaded (PDF) from the “Readings” section of this website:
Levinson, Stephen C. 1983. Pragmatics, Chap. 3 (‘Conversational Implicature’). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
HW1 (due 1/26 @ beg. of class)
Your very first homework assignment is now available for download–just click on the link below for a PDF version. It will be due on Thursday, January 26, at the beginning of class.
Reading for Tu 1/24 on entailment
In Tuesday’s (1/24) class, we will continue our discussion of entailment, which is a fundamental notion in semantics. In preparation for our discussion, please read the short excerpt on entailment (from G. Chierchia & S. McConnell-Ginet’s semantics textbook Meaning and Grammar) that I have posted in the “Readings” section of this website.
(Note: remember that the “Readings” section is password-protected. The password is listed on the first page of the course syllabus.)
Reading for Th 1/19: Kearns, Chap. 1
For Thursday, 1/19, please read Chapter 1 of the Kearns textbook. The chapter provides an overview of the approach to linguistic meaning that we will adopt this semester.
Greetings and Salutations
Welcome to the course webpage for Linguistics 502, Semantics 1. Be sure to check this page regularly for general announcements about our course, as well as for any schedule changes and useful links. Homework assignments, supplementary readings, and other course materials will also be posted here.