FORMAL SEMANTICS/SEMANTICS II LIN 4850-006B/ LIN 6856-02DG Spring 2012 Instructor: Galia Hatav Time: MWF 5th period (11:45-12:35) Place: AND 0019 Office hours: MWF 8th period (3:00-3:50); or by appointment Office: Tur 4129 Tel.: 294-7452 E-mail: [email protected] Course website on E-Learning in Sakai: http://lss.at.ufl.edu Textbooks: (Available at the Reitz Union bookstore, Tel. 392-0194.) 1. Heim, Irene & Angelika Kratzer. 1998. Semantics in Generative Grammar. Malden, Mass. & Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. (H&K) 2. Chierchia, Gennaro & Sally McConnell-Ginet. 2000, second edition. An Introduction to Semantics. Cambridge, Mass. & London, England: The MIT Press. (C&M-G) Course Description and Objectives This course is an introduction to doing formal semantics for linguists, based on the theory of Richard Montague and theories developed within his approach. We will work on the technical "craft", as Heim & Kratzer put it, of doing formal semantics, and in some parallel fashion, on the philosophy that underlies it. The students will acquire the main ideas and techniques of Type-theory and Lambda-notation, and will be acquainted with more specific topics, as many as time permits. Pre-requirements: Students are assumed to already have had a basic introduction to first order logic, semantics vs. pragmatics and (Generative) syntax. Requirements: I. Undergraduates *Homework 10% Homework is not graded but only given pass/fail check. In order to pass, each assignment must be completed and its lowest grade should be a D, i.e., at least 60% of the assignment should be good. Homework will not be accepted after due date. * Tests Two tests 40% x 2 = 80% Note: Instead of exam #2 you may write a term paper. *Reaction Papers 10%A ‘reaction paper’ is only required on some of the assignment readings and must be submitted on due time. I will not grade late papers without a documented excuse. The point of a reaction paper is to react, i.e. evaluate, criticize, support, or merely raise questions about the assigned readings. Reaction papers are to be at least one full page in length (but not more than two); typed (font size 12, double space) and printed out neatly. They will not be assigned a letter grade, but only a pass/fail check. A total of five papers must be submitted. Together they will constitute 10% of the final grade (2% each). * Attendance and participation. Attendance and participation are essential. Although they are not part of your grade and I will not be keeping records, you are unlikely to succeed in this course without coming to class and paying attention. The material on the exams will come from the texts but also largely from what we do in class. II. Graduates *Homework 10% *Two tests 32% x 2 = 64% *Reaction Papers 10% *Term paper 16% A term paper is a conference-style paper, to be presented in class weeks 14, 15. The paper (10+ pages) and oral presentation (10-15 minutes, plus questions) will constitute 16% of the final grade (of graduate students). Topics must be approved by the 13th week. All papers due by April 25th. The course grading scale is below. Further information about UF’s grading policies can be found at: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html A: 91-100 A-: 87-90.9 B+: 84-86.9 B: 80-83.9 B-: 77-79.9 C+: 74-76.9 C: 70-73.9 C-: 67-69.9 D+: 64-66.9 D: 60-63.9 D-: 57-59.9 E: 56.9 or below Other Information: Honor Code: http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~itl/honor.html Disabilities: http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~itl/disabilities.html Counseling: http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~itl/counseling.html Weekly Schedule (subject to changes according to class progress and interest): Week 1. Jan 9, 11 and 13 Read H&K section 1.3; Optional: C&M-G Appendix on p. 529 - Discuss syllabus. - Review: Sets and functions Week 2. Jan 18 and 20 (Note: Jan 16 is MLK Day – no classes) Reaction paper #1 (due M) on C&M-G pp. 1-17 Reaction paper #2 (due F) C&M-G pp. 17-52 - Denotation and Extension vs. Intension; - Extension of proper names, sentences, and verbs;Week 3. Jan 23, 25 and 27 Reaction paper #3 (due W) on H&K pp. 1-3and C&M-G pp. 53-73 - Extension and phrase structures. Week 4. Jan 30, Feb 1 and 3 Read H&K § 2.2-2.4; Optional: C&M-G § 3.2.4 pp. 87-99; Dowty et al ch. 4 § I-II; and Partee et al § 13.2.1. - Denotation of 1-place and 2-place predicates; - Semantic types. - Class-work #1: H&K ex. p. 23. Week 5. Feb 6, 8 and 10 Read H & K § 2.5; Optional: C&M-G ch. 7; Dowty et al ch. 4 § III; McCawley § 13.1; Gamut § 4.4; and Partee et al § 13.2.2. - Semantic types (cont.); - Lambda operator. - Class-work #2: H&K ex. 2 p. 32. Week 6. Feb 13, 15 and 17 Assignment #1 (posted online): Due W. - Lambda operator (cont.) Read H & K ch. 3. - Semantically vacuous words; - - Nonverbal predicates; Week 7. Feb 20, 22 and 24 Assignment #2 (posted online): Due W. Predicates as restrictive modifiers. Week 8. Feb 27 and 29, March 2 Predicates as restrictive modifiers (cont.) - Class-work: Ex. on p. 63. Week 9. March 5, 7 and 9: Spring Break – no classes Week 10. March 12, 14 and 16 Reaction Paper #4 on H&K pp. 61-73 (W) The definite article Read: H&K section 4.4 Week 11. March 19, 21 and 23 - Some digression: PTQ (M) Optional Reading: Gamut ch. 4. - Review (W) - Submitting Take-home Test #1 (F) Week 12. March 26, 28 and 30 Read H & K ch. 12; Gamut ch. 5, C & M-G ch. 5. Reaction Paper #5: H&K sections 12.1-12.2 (pp. 299-303) Due W - Intensional semantics - Possible worlds, contexts, times - Attitude verbs - The cap operator (up, ^)Week 13. April 2 and 4 (Note: April 6 is Passover Eve – class is cancelled) - Intensional semantics (cont.) - Denotations with respect to worlds Assignment # 4 (posted online): Due W Week 14. April 9, 11 and 13 - Intensional semantics (cont.) Assignment # 5 (posted online): Due W - Students’ presentation Week 15. April 16, 18 and 20 - Students’ presentation Week 16. April 23 and 25 - Review/Students’ presentation (M) - Submitting: Take-home Test #2 (W) Complementary Reading Allwood, Jens, L-G Andersson, & Ö. Dahl. 1971. Logic in Linguistics.Cambridge: CUP. Cann, Ronnie. 1993. Formal Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dowty, David R., Robert E. Wall, & Stanley Peters. 1981. Introduction to Montague Semantics. Dordrecht, Boston, Lancaster & Tokyo: D. Reidel