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.

Assessment:

• Between 1 and 3 homework about classes will be given

• Squib

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

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

• Mini-term paper

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

  • Jan 31st, 5pm: send your term paper by email to all instructors

The squib could for 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 19: Introduction to super semantics in reasoning [slides]

This lecture will be online due to unforeseen events. Cogmaster will share the link. Write to all three instructors on Monday at noon to request it if you did not receive it by then.

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. 26: Alternatives, question semantics, and attention in meaning and reasoning I [slides]

This lecture will resume onsite

(Onsite is the default for the whole class)

Oct. 3: Alternatives, question semantics, and attention in meaning and reasoning II [slides]

Oct. 10: Reasoning vs. interpretation [slides]
There is a homework assignment on the topic of lectures #2 and #3. It is due November 14 by email to Salvador.

Oct. 17: Probabilities in meanings and reasoning [slides]

Oct. 24: Language without words

This class will be online (link shared over email)

We will aim for a shorter session, because preparation is mandatory: instructions.

Oct. 31: [no class: cogmaster break]

Part B. Super Semantics in communication (Schlenker)

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

The following provides alternatives to long articles (either shorter articles, or introductory general audience chapters).

General reading for this part: One of the following:
Schlenker, What is Super Semantics? Philosophical Perspectives 2019 [published pdf in the Dropbox folder]

Patel-Grosz et al. Super Linguistics: an Introduction, to appear in Linguistics & Philosophy (broader and less detailed than the preceding reference)

Optional background: What it All Means (ask the instructor for a pdf copy).

Nov. 7: Sign language semantics I

Reading: Schlenker, Visible Meaning

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

Introductory alternative: What it All Means Ch. 2

Nov. 14: Sign language semantics II

Nov. 21: [no class: PSL week]

Nov. 28: Typology of iconic enrichments

Reading: Schlenker Iconic Pragmatics

Introductory alternative: What it All Means Ch. 12

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

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

Dec. 5: Gestural grammar

Optional: Schlenker Gestural Grammar

Introductory alternative: What it All Means Ch. 13

Dec. 12: Music semantics

Background: Jackendoff and Lerdahl, The capacity for music

Reading: What it All Means Ch. 15

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

Dec. 19, Dec. 26, Jan 2: no class [Cogmaster break]

Jan. 9 Animal Semantics I: Primates

Readings: 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]

Introductory alternative: What it All Means Ch. 1

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

Jan. 16: Animal Semantics II: Primates and Birds

Readings: one of the following
Suzuki and Matsumoto 2022

Schlenker et al., to appear The ABC-D of Animal Linguistics