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 | Available to all 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). |
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 |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students must have passed Logic 1 (PHIL08004) or equivalent during their previous studies at another institution before taking this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | G.06 Dugald Stewart Building | 1-11 | 11:10 - 13:00 | | | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 11:10 - 13:00, Zone: Central. G.06 Dugald Stewart Building |
| 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. |
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 Jesper Kallestrup
Tel:
Email: jesper.kallestrup@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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