This course is an introduction to semantics, the study of how humans communicate meaning through language. Humans are capable of transforming their thoughts into linguistic expressions and of recognizing the intended meanings of other people’s words. We will examine how this occurs, discuss what constitutes meaning, and develop a set of tools for understanding these notions. While the toolbox we build will be formal, the mathematics will allow us to develop precise, testable theories of what expressions mean and how humans use those meanings in language. Alongside this formal foundation, we will also consider how lexical structure, context, and cross-linguistic variation place pressure on purely formal accounts.
By the end of the course, students will not only be familiar with central concepts and techniques in semantics but will also have learned how semanticists reason about meaning: how to recognize different types of meaning, analyze linguistic data, and argue for or against proposed semantic analyses. No prior background in logic or mathematics is assumed; all formal tools will be introduced from the ground up and used only to analyze linguistic meaning.
By the end of the course, students will not only be familiar with central concepts and techniques in semantics but will also have learned how semanticists reason about meaning: how to recognize different types of meaning, analyze linguistic data, and argue for or against proposed semantic analyses. No prior background in logic or mathematics is assumed; all formal tools will be introduced from the ground up and used only to analyze linguistic meaning.
- Teacher: Augustina Owusu