Introduction to Semantics
2015 Linguistic Summer Institute
University of Chicago
M/Th 8.30-10.20
SS 302

Chris Kennedy (instructor)
Rosenwald 205E
Office hours W 10-12 or by appointment



Julian Grove (TA)
Social Science 010B
Office hours Th 10.30-12 or by appointment

Overview

This course provides an introduction to the goals and methods of formal semantics, and to some of the core empirical phenomena and questions that drive contemporary research in this area. Topics to be addressed include patterns of inference (entailment vs. implicature vs. presupposition), compositionality and the syntax-semantics interface, ambiguity, intensionality and subjectivity. Topics will be explored through lectures, readings (available online) and problem sets. Some previous exposure to linguistics will be helpful, especially basic concepts in syntax (constituent structure, well-formedness conditions), as will experience with basic concepts of set theory and logic.

Assignments

The written work for the course will consist of seven short assignments, handed out at the end of each class and due at the beginning of the following class.

Evaluation

Your evaluation will be based on your performance on the assignments and on participation in class.

Plan