nyi15

Introduction to Formal Semantics - Week 1

Philippe Schlenker

(LINGUAE, Institut Jean-Nicod, CNRS; New York University)

NYI, St Petersburg - July 13-17, 2015

Instructor: Philippe Schlenker

Directeur de Recherche, Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris

Global Distinguished Professor, New York University

Euryi Project Leader, ESF; Advanced Grant Leader, ERC

E-mail: philippe.schlenker@gmail.com

Topic

This initial part of a 3-week course will provide an intensive introduction to the formal methods used in contemporary research on meaning. We characterize knowledge of meaning as knowledge of truth conditions. The goal of semantics is thus to uncover the rules that allow the speakers of a language to know under what conditions any sentence is true; or in other words, to construct a theory of truth for natural language. We will do so for fragments (i.e. simple formal languages) that include: proper names, pronouns and predicates, and definite descriptions (the). Special attention will be devoted to the division of labor between semantics and pragmatics, and we will offer simplified analyses of presuppositions and implicatures.

Requirements

Besides active class participation, read (i) the lecture notes, and (ii) the Heim & Kratzer chapters. Do ask questions in class!!

Plan (still tentative; to be adapted as we go)

Meaning and Truth

1. Meaning as truth conditions

2. The program of a theory of truth

3. Propositional logic

–Syncategorematic fragment

–Categorematic fragment.

4. Predication

5. Scalar Implicatures

Readings

There will be 2 readings for this coures:

Lecture Notes I

Chapters 1-3 of Heim & Kratzer 1998 will serve as a background reading.

Homework

3 exercises have been assigned for Week 1. They are due on Monday, July 20th.

Dropbox folder

A link to the readings is here.