Postgraduate Course: Formal Semantics for Philosophers MSc (PHIL11118)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Philosophy |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Formal semantics is a subfield of linguistics and philosophy of language that aims at constructing a formalanalysis of meaning. More specifically, formal semanticists generally attempt to construct a systematic method for recursively and compositionally deriving the truth conditions of natural language sentences.
Formal semantics is now an essential part of the philosophy of language and often has wide-reaching impact in other philosophical areas such as (formal) epistemology, logic, philosophy of mind, and metaethics.
Since a number of sophisticated mathematical and logical tools are used in formal semantics, this course is intended as an introduction to these tools as well as the underlying methodology. We will focus on three general, but complex, issues, namely:
I. Restricted/Generalized Quantifiers (Quantificational Determiner Phrases).
II. Free vs. Bound Variables (Pronouns).
III. Index-Shifting (Intensional Operators).
Formal Semantics for Philosophers MSc is also shared with the undergraduate version Formal Semantics for Philosophers (PHIL10137).
Taught by Dr Anders Schoubye
Formative feedback;
- opportunity to submit a formative essay on Learn by week 6 deadline (Monday 24th February, 12 noon)
- students will be asked to meet with the course organiser to discuss a draft of their paper |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Logic 1 (PHIL08004)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: 5 |
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- A general understanding of various formal tools used in formal semantics.
(basic generative syntax, type driven interpretations, lambda abstraction, variable assignments, binding, etc.)
- A general understanding of important methodological principles.
(compositionality, recursion, syntax-semantic correspondence.)
- An ability to compositionally derive the truth conditions of simple natural language sentences.
- An understanding of (a few) complex issues widely discussed in philosophy of language and semantics.
(the semantics of: quantificational determiner phrases, pronouns, modals, attitude verbs, and conditionals)
|
Assessment Information
One 2500 word essay.
Assignment deadline: Monday 14th April 2014 by 12 noon
Word limit: 2500 words maximum
Return deadline: Tuesday 6th May 2014 |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Formal Foundations
2. Syntax--Semantics
3. Predicates, Modifiers, and Descriptions
4. Relative Clauses, Variables, and Variable Binding
5. Generalized Quantifiers I
6. Generalized Quantifiers II
7. Bound and Referential Pronouns
8. Donkey Anaphora and E-Type Pronouns
9. From Extensional to Intensional Semantics
10. Intensional Semantics
11. Conditionals, Orderings, and DPs in Modal Contexts |
| Transferable skills |
An understanding of, and competence with, various formal tools that are used in a number of other areas of philosophy and linguistics. |
| Reading list |
von Fintel, Kai and Heim, Irene 2007. ''Intensional Semantics''. Unpublished ms.
Glanzberg, Michael 2006. ''Quantifiers''. In Lepore, Ernest and Smith, Barry C. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook
of Philosophy of Language, chap. 31. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 794¿822.
Heim, Irene and Kratzer, Angelika 1998. ''Semantics in Generative Grammar''. Blackwell Publishing.
Kaplan, David 1989. ''Demonstratives''. In Almog, Joseph, Perry, John and Wettstein, Howard (eds.) Themes
From Kaplan. Oxford University Press.
Lewis, David 1980. ''Index, Context, and Content''. In Kanger, Stig and Öhman, Sven (eds.) Philosophy and Grammar. D. Reidel Publishing Company.
McCawley, James D. 1993. ''Everything that Linguists have Always Wanted to Know about Logic ... But Were
Ashamed to Ask.'' 2nd edn. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Neale, Stephen 1990. ''Descriptive Pronouns and Donkey Anaphora''. The Journal of Philosophy, LXXXVII, 3:113¿150. |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Anders Schoubye
Tel:
Email: aschouby@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
|
© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 10 October 2013 5:12 am
|
University Homepage