This course deals with some contemporary frameworks of formal semantics for natural languages. It presents approaches to fundamental questions of predication, quantification, modality, negation, tense and aspect. The course adresses various topics, such as type theory and lambda-calculus, generalized quantification, intensional and higher order logics, and modes of compositionality. In particular, we will go into the question to what extent the semantics of natural languages can be considered to be computable, and what the relation is between computable and noncomputable aspects of semantics. The whole course will focus on entailment and inference as the empirical foundation of the theory of meaning.
As the field of semantics is hardly complete and done, students are encouraged to use their creativity and analytical potential to contribute to discussions and presentations.
The course is open to students who followed at least an introduction to formal semantics. They should be familiar with textbooks such as:Chierchia and McConnel-Ginet’s Meaning and Grammar, Heim and Kratzer’s Semantics in Generative Grammar, De Swart’s Introduction to natural language semantics, or comparable works as a good preparation to Advanced Semantics.
Timetable
Check the website of of the Linguistics Department for the Lecture Timetable.
Method of instruction:
Seminar
Literature
The course refers to chapters from the following books: F. Landman, Structures for Semantics L.T.F. Gamut, Logic, Language and Meaning J. van Benthem and A. ter Meulen (eds), Handbook of Logic and Language S. Lappin (ed), Handbook of Contemporary Semantics P. Portner and B. Partee (eds), Formal Semantics. The Essential Readings B. Partee, A. ter Meulen and R. Wall (eds), Mathematical methods in Linguistics
Examination
Paper
Information
The course is organised by dr. C.L.J.M. Cremers with contributions from Jenny Doetjes, Ton van der Wouden and Felix Ameka.