ENS 25 - LANGUAGE IN THE VISUAL MODALITY
Site for Schlenker's Lectures only
Fall 2025
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
November 2025-January 2026
ENS 25 - LANGUAGE IN THE VISUAL MODALITY
Site for Schlenker's Lectures only
Fall 2025
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
November 2025-January 2026
-There is information below about Assignment #2 ("Squib"). Topic due Dec. 18, assignment due on Dec. 23 at the latest, but you are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss your topic as soon as you can.
-The lecture of Nov. 20 (on classifiers) will be identical to one given in the MA course on Super Semantics. Students who attended the Super Semantics version should skip this class and use the time to work on the empirical and theoretical question of the relation between gestures and signs. See the Gestures and Signs subfolder (in our shared folder). It includes: 1. slides 2. an article. In addition, 3. you can contact the instructor to have a link to a recorded lecture on this topic.
-The class of Dec. 18 might be on Zoom (more later).
-Entirely optional: an online seminar on multimodal semantics started on October 21, 2025. Next session: Floris Roelofsen on questions, Nov. 25.
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).
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[Effects of laptop multitasking on users and nearby students]
Reminder: all information NOT pertaining to Schlenker's lectures is on Moodle.
General Syllabus: see Moodle.
Readings: either linked to the site, or in this dropbox folder.
Reading: Schlenker, Sign Language and the Foundations of Anaphora
Optional: Kuhn, Discourse Anaphora—Theoretical Perspectives
Reading: one of the following:
Zwitserlood, Classifiers
Schlenker and Lamberton, Iconological Semantics
Optional: Schlenker et al., Iconic Syntax
Reading: Steinbach, Role Shift: Theoretical Perspectives
Dec. 12, 9pm - Topic of Assignment #2 due by email to: philippe.schlenker@gmail.com
Since Assignment #1 was on phonology/sociolinguistics/morphosyntax, Assignment #2 should be on semantics.
Optional reading: Schlenker et al. The Inferential Typology of Language: Insights from Sign Language (ASL)
Dec. 23, 9pm - Assignment #2 due by email to: philippe.schlenker@gmail.com