PREREQUISITES

Students should have an ability to follow formal analyses, and they should thus have taken a serious introduction to formal logic or to formal semantics, or have significant experience with mathematical theories. If in doubt, please check with the instructors.

COMMUNICATION

We will communicate through this website and by e-mail. Be sure to be officially registered for the class so that we have your address (write to us early in case of doubt).

Material for the class (readings, slides) will either (i) be linked to the sessions below, or (ii) be made available in this Dropbox folder.

Honor Code To foster learning and discussion, students are discouraged from using phones, tablets or laptops during class, unless this is solely to take notes and/or follow the pdf slides as they are presented (with all other applications closed).

[Summary of some data on this topic]

[Effects of laptop multitasking on users and nearby students]

REQUIREMENTS

All details about the requirements are available in this document. Below is just a short version of it.

Golden rule: if you’re in doubt about these instructions or any aspect of the class, write to us!

Topic first: Participants are invited to work on small projects (e.g. literature reviews, formal analyses of a set of phenomena, proposals for experiments). The first task is always the choice of a topic in Super semantics - please discuss possible topics with the instructors as early as possible.

Timeline: There are two main steps, a bullet squib and a mini-term paper, within the following timeline:

• Bullet squib (page 2 here)

  • Nov 18th: confirm your topic by email to all instructors

  • Dec 7th: Send your squib by email to all instructors

• Mini-term paper (page 3 here)

  • Dec 21st: confirm your topic by email to all instructors

  • Jan 28th (updated deadline): Send your term paper by email to all instructors

The first step could for optimal efficiency be the building up of the final mini-paper.

Individual & group work: You are encouraged to get feedback on your work not just from the instructors but also from one or several students. (If so, please indicate which other student(s) you discussed your work with.) You may also work in groups of up to three participants, please discuss this option with us.

Academic credit: Students should not get double academic credit for the same work. If you are pursuing a project you started in another academic context, please (i) make an explicit note of this, and (ii) indicate what is new in the current version.

Logistics: All materials should be submitted by email to all three instructors: chemla@ens.fr, salvador.mascarenhas@ens.fr, philippe.schlenker@gmail.com.

SESSIONS [to be adapted as we go]

Part A. Super Semantics in reasoning and thought (Chemla & Mascarenhas)

Sept 20: General introduction [slides]

Where: on-site, in Salle Ribot on 29 rue d'Ulm

We will introduce the traditional program of semantics, foreshadow how it extends to some non-standard cases, and present a primer on fundamental semantics-pragmatics notions for this course. This will be the foundation to go beyond into topics of super-semantics in the following lectures.

Sept. 27:

There will be no actual class this week. INSTEAD, we ask you to dedicate the class time to prepare work for the week after. Follow these instructions. The classroom will be available at the usual time on Monday, feel free to gather there to make the experience collective and collaborative.

And if you have questions, do write to Emmanuel!

Topic 1: A common constraint on concepts and logical operations in humans and other animals

Topic 2: Alternatives and competition

Oct. 4:

In class, we used some of these slides, and followed the instructions and papers mentioned last week.

Where: onsite

What: This class is a discussion of the guided readings from the previous week (see above). We also discuss connectedness in more details (for nouns, for determiners, for homophones) and a new data about negation in baboons.

Oct. 11:

Semantics in Reasoning [pdf slides] (NB slides were updated after class!!!)

Where: on-site (with the possibility of a remote participation, contact the instructors)

Oct. 18:

Language and probabilistic reasoning [pdf slides]

Oct. 25: [no class: cogmaster break]

Part B. Super Semantics in communication (Schlenker)

Announcement: if you haven't already done so, please fill out this form (pertaining to your background and interests). Thanks!

Reminder: readings that are not linked below will be found in this Dropbox folder.

Reading for this part: Schlenker, What is Super Semantics? Philosophical Perspectives 2019 [published pdf in the Dropbox folder]

Optional background (general audience text on semantics and Super Semantics): What it All Means (provisional title; ask the instructor for a pdf copy).

Nov. 1 NO CLASS, NATIONAL HOLIDAY

Nov. 8: Linguistic Inferences Without Words I

Reading: Tieu et al. Linguistic Inferences Without Words

Optional: Schlenker Gestural Semantics

Nov. 15: Linguistic Inferences Without Words II

Nov. 22: Primate Semantics I

Reading: Schlenker, Chemla, Zuberbühler Semantics and Pragmatics of Monkey Communication. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. [pdf]

Longer version: Schlenker et al. Formal Monkey Linguistics. Target article in Theoretical Linguistics. Preprint version

Shorter version: Schlenker, Chemla, Zuberbühler What do Monkey Calls Mean? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20, 12, 894–904. Penultimate version: [pdf]

More recent: Berthet et al. 2021 Animal Linguistics: a Primer

Note: there is a very recent issues of Proceedings of the Royal Society on animal vs. human languages.

Links:

Further readings and slides on animal linguistics [from 2017, readings partly updated]

BBC article Catherine Hobaiter on chimpanzee gestures.

Great ape gesture dictionary

Chimpanzee vs. Bonobo gestures

Note: Catherine Hobaiter will give the LINGUAE lectures on March 2 and March 4, 2021 (as things stand).

Nov. 29: Primate Semantics II

Dec. 6: Sign Language Semantics I

Reading: Schlenker Visible Meaning

Shorter alternative: Schlenker Logical Visibility and Iconicity in Sign Language Semantics: Theoretical Perspectives

Dec. 13 Sign Language Semantics II

Exceptionally, this class will be offered in a hybrid format. Please contact the instructor if you wish to attend on Zoom.

Dec. 20 and Dec. 27: no class [Cogmaster break]

Jan. 3: Typology of Iconic Enrichments Entirely on Zoom!

Optional: Schlenker Iconic Pragmatics

Optional: Tieu et al. Co-speech gesture projection: evidence from inferential judgments

Gestural Grammar (time permitting)

Background: Abner et al. 2015: Gestures for linguists. [pdf]

Optional: Schlenker Gestural Grammar

Jan. 10: Music Semantics On Zoom!

Background: Jackendoff and Lerdahl, The capacity for music

Optional: Schlenker, Musical Meaning Within Super Semantics.

Optional talk on dance (online): Pritty Patel-Grosz, Dance semantics and extensions to music (live online, November 7, 2020)

Links: Bernstein on meaning in music Bernstein on Strauss's Don Quixote Another take on the William Tell Overture