Browse Hierarchy LIN7210: Formal Semantics

This module trains students in the craft of doing formal semantics. It introduces Frege's hypothesis that functional application is the mechanism by which the meaning of a complex phrase is composed from the meanings of its constituent parts. It applies this method to the analysis of a variety of core semantic phenomena, including argument structure, adjectival modification, definite descriptions, relative clauses, binding and quantification. These phenomena are all extensional, meaning that insightful analyses of them can be developed without recourse to theories of possible worlds, situations, or temporal intervals. Emphasis throughout is on training students to be able to produce explicit detailed analyses of novel data.