What is 'meaning' as it relates to words and sentences? How is the meaning of a sentence affected by the context it is produced in? These are the fundamental issues to be addressed in Semantics and Pragmatics. We examine the relationship between what is said and what is meant. The first part of the course will examine basic issues in Semantics. The second part of the course will examine the distinction between a speaker's words and what a speaker means by those words – the domain of pragmatics. It will consider the foundational concerns of pragmatics: deixis, implicature and speech act theory. The main aims of the module are:
* to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and theoretical foundations of the study of word, sentence and utterance meaning,
* to familiarise students with the basic analytic resources to study word meaning, sentence meaning, and utterance interpretation,
* to provide students with practical experience of applying the tools and techniques in the analysis of linguistic phenomena,
* to provide students with the theoretical and conceptual tools to allow them to approach familiarise students with a range of issues and debates in contemporary semantic and pragmatic theory and enable them to apply their knowledge in the investigation of other areas of linguistic study.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will:
1. Have an understanding of the theoretical foundations of Semantics and Pragmatics.
2. Be familiar with the study of meaning (Semantics and Pragmatics) through investigating aspects of sentence and utterance interpretation.
3. Be able to bring to bear a range of conceptual and analytical tools on Semantic and Pragmatic data.
4. Be able to sustain reasoned argumentation through exemplification of Semantic and Pragmatic concepts.
* to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and theoretical foundations of the study of word, sentence and utterance meaning,
* to familiarise students with the basic analytic resources to study word meaning, sentence meaning, and utterance interpretation,
* to provide students with practical experience of applying the tools and techniques in the analysis of linguistic phenomena,
* to provide students with the theoretical and conceptual tools to allow them to approach familiarise students with a range of issues and debates in contemporary semantic and pragmatic theory and enable them to apply their knowledge in the investigation of other areas of linguistic study.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will:
1. Have an understanding of the theoretical foundations of Semantics and Pragmatics.
2. Be familiar with the study of meaning (Semantics and Pragmatics) through investigating aspects of sentence and utterance interpretation.
3. Be able to bring to bear a range of conceptual and analytical tools on Semantic and Pragmatic data.
4. Be able to sustain reasoned argumentation through exemplification of Semantic and Pragmatic concepts.
- Module Supervisor: Rebecca Clift
- Module Supervisor: Kyle Jerro