Semantic Analysis

AY2017/2018 Semester 2

This course explores how the meanings of words combine in often complex ways to give rise to the meanings of utterances. After developing a set of tools for characterising word meaning, it addresses the relationship between semantics and syntax, and to what extent each is necessary for characterising the grammar of a language. Since utterances are used to convey more than just literal content, and since context is essential for resolving the reference of pronouns and other ambiguous expressions, the course explores the possibility that semantics and pragmatics can be treated a single integrated framework for understanding communication. Prosody represents a parallel aspect of meaning and is explored in depth. Overall, students will learn to approach the notion of meaning from different viewpoints, and to carry out precise analysis that best fits with the phenomenon and language involved.