Drawing on Frege's Principle of Compositionality, we will observe that the meaning of a sentence is made up from the meanings of its parts. In order to access that conception, we will move along in two major steps. In step one, we will concern ourselves with structural aspects of English (Syntax). In a second step, we will enter a discussion about meaning and interpretation (Semantics) and, in addition to that, we will observe how we can account for the interaction between structure and meaning.
Aims: The goal is to let students have a close encounter with the interface between syntax and semantics.
Methods: Talk and discussion; group work; where appropriate students will be asked to prepare talks for class; the aim here is to achieve a maximum of interaction in the classroom.
Requirements/Assessment: Exercises, homework, participation, exam and quizzes.
Relevant Literature:
Beck, Sigrid & Remus Gergel (2014). Contrasting English and German Grammar: An Introduction to Syntax and Semantics. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
Portner, Paul H. (2005). What is Meaning? Fundamentals of Formal Semantics. Oxford: Blackwell.
Additional readings TBA if necessary. |