230575 Semantics (S) (WiSe 2010/2011)

Long before linguistics came into being as a scientific discipline, philosophers and other thinkers were speculating about the nature of meaning. It had been realised that meaning is a central factor in human language and that language, in order to fulfil its communicative function, must have content. Semantics as the study and analysis of meaning has therefore become one of the central and possibly most debated areas in linguistics. Throughout the history of linguistics, the topic has been approached from various angles, affected and influenced by a number of linguistic sub-disciplines and methodological or foundational trends. This has led to a number of different theories of semantics.
This class is intended to introduce students to the subject by looking at meaning at word, sentence, text and context level and to present a variety of theoretical approaches to semantics, such as structural semantics, formal semantics and cognitive semantics. Some of these approaches will then provide a backdrop for the ensuing discussion of semantic change, i.e. the question why (word) meaning has changed and will continue changing throughout the history of every language.

Requirements for participation, required level

BaAngBM2 completed!

Bibliography

NB: A reader with all the required readings will be made available well before start of term. Please make sure to get your personal copy before our first meeting.