This ‘Proseminar’ is an introduction to semantics based on the Fregean principle of compositionality. Building on English sentence structure we will explore how they are assigned truth-conditional meanings and how these are to be interpreted. As part of our main objectives and to carry out this investigation, we will first familiarize ourselves with the necessary compositional rules, formal tools including set theory and meanings of certain words in English. Once well versed in the theory we will then turn to its application by interpreting English sentences as well as take a look at some German contrastively. It is strongly recommended that you have taken the new Introduction to Syntax course or have some background in Generative Syntax to take the course.
The foundations of the course are based on the textbook Contrasting English and German Grammar by Beck & Gergel and we will use the book as a companion to this course. It is strongly recommended that you purchase the book. |
