Meeting time: M 4-7, CAS 114A
Instructor: Peter Alrenga
Email: palrenga@bu.edu (preferred)
Phone: (617) 353-6221
Office: 621 Commonwealth Ave., Rm. 110
Office Hours: Tu 4-6pm, F 12-1pm (and by appointment)
Prerequisite: The prerequisite for this course is LX 502, “Semantics I“. Our readings and class discussions will presuppose a familiarity with the material covered in that class.
Course Description: The study of linguistic meaning comprises two disciplines: semantics, the study of the conventional meanings carried by words and sentences, and pragmatics, the study of how speakers use words and sentences to convey meaning. This course surveys several core issues in pragmatics. We will be particularly concerned this semester with the interaction between pragmatics and semantics, exploring the numerous ways in which the truth-conditional meaning of a sentence interacts with the context in which it is uttered. Our goals will be (i) to determine the extent to which these interactions are regular and well-defined, and (ii) to arrive at a more precise understanding of what constitutes an utterance context, and how various types of utterances may affect it. Along the way, we will also consider the relevance of pragmatic theory to other disciplines, such as cognitive psychology and the law.
Reading: There is no textbook for this course. Throughout the semester, we will read several foundational articles from the pragmatics literature, along with excerpted chapters from various pragmatics textbooks. Individual reading assignments will be distributed to students as PDFs available from the course website.
Attendance & Participation: Regular attendance is required for a passing grade in this course, and participation in class discussions is expected. Together, attendance and participation will account for 5% of your overall grade.
Group Presentation: Each of you will participate in one group presentation during the semester, in which your group will provide a comprehensive overview of one of the week‘s readings. These will take place on September 24, October 9 (Tues.), October 15, November 12 and November 19. The presentation will constitute 10% of your overall grade.
Reading Responses: Throughout the semester, you will submit five reading responses, in which you will summarize that week’s reading: what are the issues, what are the core proposals, and what arguments are advanced to support those proposals? Usually, I will pose specific questions about the reading, around which your discussion should be organized. Your responses need not be long (one single-spaced page of concise, targeted prose might suffice), but they should be thorough. The responses will constitute 35% of your overall grade.
Problem Sets: You will also complete three problem sets during the semester. The problem sets will cover material from the readings and our class discussions. At times, you will also be asked to apply your understanding of this material to novel types of problems. Together, the problem sets will constitute 25% of your overall grade.
Final Paper: You will also write and present a short paper (6-9 pages) on a topic in pragmatics. Depending on your interests, this might involve the description and analysis of some pragmatic phenomenon (perhaps in a language other than English), or an extended discussion of some paper(s) from the pragmatics literature that we have not already read. A one-page topic proposal will be due on Monday, November 19. On Monday, December 10, you will briefly present your paper to the rest of the class. The paper itself will be due at 12pm on Friday, December 21. The final paper will constitute 25% of your overall grade.
Academic Conduct: You are expected to abide by Boston University’s Academic Conduct Code (accessible at http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conduct-code/). Plagiarism in any form (including online sources) and other academic misconduct will not be tolerated.
Late Policy: It is your responsibility to bring any potential scheduling conflicts to my attention promptly, so that alternative arrangements can be made. In the absence of any such prior arrangements, late work will not be accepted.