Syllabus (
PDF)
Course Description
Formal theories of context-dependency, presupposition, implicature, context-change, focus and topic. Special emphasis on the division of labor between semantics and pragmatics. Applications to the analysis of quantification, definiteness, presupposition projection, conditionals and modality, anaphora, questions and answers.
The label "pragmatics" covers a much wider and more heterogeneous set of linguistic phenomena and research traditions than we can attend to in this course. Even the few topics that we do address could each fill an entire course, and we will only cover the basics. The semester will be divided into four or five somewhat independent units, devoted respectively to conversational implicature, focus, indexicality, presupposition (and context change), and focus (in this order). The central readings and main issues for each unit are listed in the
calendar section. For each unit, we also list some recent research literature in the
readings section. We will devote some time to such ongoing work, to illustrate how the basic concepts of pragmatics are involved in cutting edge work.
Reading assignments. Technical exercises. A squib. In the unmarked case, a squib consists of a critical discussion of some article (or group of related articles) which is relevant to the topics covered in this class. The squib should contain a clear and self-contained presentation of the main claims and arguments in the article, explain why and how they bear on issues discussed in class, and point out problems, possible amendments, extensions and applications.
24.970 (Introduction to Semantics) and 24.973 (Advanced Semantics), or approximately equivalent background. We will presuppose technical material more or less on the level of Irene Heim and Angelika Kratzer's textbook Semantics in Generative Grammar (Blackwell, 1998), as well as familiarity with the possible-worlds semantics of modal and attitude constructions. Consult with the instructors if you have not taken 24.970 and 24.973.
Only a few papers will be required reading for the whole class. This will leave you plenty of time to browse through the related literature and find things to write squibs about, and you should begin with that right away. Enrolled students are expected to keep instructors informed about what they are reading. Copies of all the items listed on the bibliography can be borrowed for xeroxing from the instructors.