Undergraduate Course: Current Issues in Semantics and Pragmatics (LASC10069)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course provides an introduction to formal theories of semantics and pragmatics, with reference to the cognitive plausibility of those theories. This is done by considering current important issues in the subject that have given rise to controversy and debate. |
| Course description |
Providing testable and accurate accounts of semantic phenomena require the use of tools from philosophical logic to break out of the circular trap of using a natural (human) language to explain the properties of the same or a different natural language. In this course, basic tools of logic are introduced and explained (predicate logic, the lambda calculus, model theory and natural deduction). Using these tools, classic problems in interpretation are explored such as quantification, reference and modality, before moving on to recent issues, which may include event structure, discourse and context dependence.
The course is NOT a course in logic but how linguists can use logical tools to explore difficult issues in interpreting the expressions of natural languages.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
LEL2A: Linguistic Theory and the Structure of English (LASC08017)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on BA HSS programmes MUST seek permission from the course organiser before choosing to take this course. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Linguistics/Language Sciences courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Students should have sufficient knowledge of basic formal semantics. If in doubt, consult the Course Organiser. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Have a grounding in the use of logical tools in the investigation of linguistic semantics and pragmatics
- Understand how theoretical arguments are constructed in semantic and pragmatic theory
- Gain a detailed acquaintance with specific current topics in semantics and pragmatics
- Gain sufficient knowledge of theoretical semantics to identify strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | linguistics; semantics; pragmatics; logic |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Robert Truswell
Tel: (0131 6)51 5511
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Chloe Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9870
Email: |
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