Completed problem assignments are to be submitted to Owlspace via
uploading to the Assignments module. They must be in the form of Word
files, not .pdf.
Reading Responses are also to be submitted to Owlnet via uploading to
the Assignments module.
After the first week, these will be generally due the day we discuss a
reading, at 9:00 a.m.
| DAY | DATE
| TOPIC | READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
|
| M | Aug 23
| Introduction. Organizational issues. What is meaning? Narrowing
the focus of study to what semanticists mean by
'meaning'. Representations: linguistic representations (e.g. words,
sentences), other semiotic
representations (e.g. traffic lights and other non-linguistic
signals/symbols), and perceptual, non-semiotic or partially semiotic
representations (pictures, movies, dance, music).
| No reading.
|
| W | Aug 25
| What is meaning? The semiotic triangle: Name/label; concept;
referent.
Basic concepts and distinctions in Semantics: Expression meaning
(non-contextualized), utterance meaning (contextualized), and
communicative meaning (contextualized, with inferences). Lexical meaning vs sentential meaning. Exploring the meaning
of a word (assassinate) via semantic intuitions.
| Riemer 13-21; Löbner 3-11)
|
| F | Aug 27
| Meaning triangle reviewed. Background for the logical theory of
meaning. The 'referential theory'
of meaning. Is meaning just reference? Problems.
Introducing "Sense": an important component of
meaning lying outside reference to things in the world. (Where? In our
minds? in the community? there are different views.) Sense vs. reference.
| Riemer and Löbner readings above cont.; Riemer 87-98
|
| M | Aug 30
| Background for the logical approach to meaning cont.
Sense and Reference cont. Referentiality. Referential and
non-referential expressions. Reference and predication.
| Riemer 87-98 cont; Cruse 19-26.
|
| W | Sept 1
| Denotation vs. Reference. Propositions. Compositionality. Issues
in Compositionality. Idioms; Collocations; Cliches.
| Cruse
19-26; Cruse 67-77.
Assignment 1, change in plan as of Sept 1 12:00pm: In class I told
students assignment 1 would be posted on this date. However,
we will not have Assignment 1 yet. We are going to wait until Sept. 13.
|
| F | Sept 3
| Meaning as Logic.
| Note: We discovered most students in the class have not had any
logic at all. I assigned Saeed 305-354 for Sept 3, and we covered some
simple representations in propositional logic in class. But we can
take a step back and start with the groundwork contained in the
readings by Riemer and Lobner in the Resources under Formal Semantics.
Riemer 173-178; Lobner 57-62.
|
| M | Sept 6
| Labor Day - no class.
| Read Riemer and Lobner as above; can preview Saeed reading which
we will cover in more detail later.)
|
| W | Sept 8
| Meaning and truth. Prepositional logic and truth-functional
connectives. Meaning in logic and meaning in natural language.
| Riemer 173-178 as background. Riemer 179-189 and Lobner 57-62. (Saeed can be previewed)
|
| F | Sept 10
| Basic predicate logic. Translating English into a logical
metalanguage; solving some problems in logical representation of
language. Ambiguity; quantifiers.
| Riemer 189-201. Saeed 305-315
|
| M | Sept 13 | Formal Semantics: The
Semantics of the Logical Metalanguage (Saeed 315-322). How formal
semantics deals with lexical meaning: meaning postulates (Saeed
323-325). | Saeed 315-325; (useful extra: Larson 1-25, a summary on
Formal Semantics). Problem Assignment #1 posted.
|
| W | Sept 15
|
| Saeed 325-337; graduate students also Saeed 340-438 (on anaphora and
quantifiers); Riemer 215-216; Frawley 29-33
|
| F | Sept 17
|
|
|
| M | Sept 20
|
|
|
| W | Sept 22
|
|
|
| F | Sept 24
|
|
Problem Assignment #1 due before class. Grace
period until 5:00 p.m.
| M | Sept 27
|
|
| | W | Sept 29
|
|
| | F | Oct 1
|
|
| | M | Oct 4
|
|
| | W | Oct 6
|
|
| | F | Oct 8
|
|
| | M | Oct 11
| Midterm Break: No Class
|
| | W | Oct 13
|
|
| | F | Oct 15
|
|
| | M | Oct 18
|
|
| | W | Oct 20
|
|
| | F | Oct 22
|
|
| M | Oct 25
|
|
| | W | Oct 27
|
|
| | F | Oct 29
|
|
| | M | Nov 1
|
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| | W | Nov 3
|
|
| | F | Nov 5
|
|
| | M | Nov 8
|
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| | W | Nov 10
|
|
| | F | Nov 12
|
|
| | M | Nov 15
|
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| | W | Nov 17
|
|
| | F | Nov 19
|
|
| | M | Nov 22
|
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| | W | Nov 24
|
|
| | F | Nov 26
| Thanksgiving holiday, no class
|
| | M | Nov 29
|
|
| | W | Dec 1
|
|
| | F | Dec 3
| Conclusion
|
| | |