31.780, Summer Schools: Anaphora and presuppositions / Germany
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LINGUIST List: Vol-31-780. Mon Feb 24 2020. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.
Subject: 31.780, Summer Schools: Anaphora and presuppositions / Germany
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Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:30:52
From: Clemens Steiner-Mayr [clemens.steiner-mayr1 at uni-goettingen.de]
Subject: Anaphora and presuppositions / Germany
Anaphora and presuppositions
Host Institution: Georg August Universität Göttingen
Dates: 07-Sep-2020 - 12-Sep-2020
Location: Göttingen, Germany
Focus: Background: The fall school brings together research on two broad empirical phenomena: anaphora and presuppositions. At one point, these phenomena were seen to be subject to similar constraints and therefore necessitate parallel accounts, in particular in the literature on DRT/dynamic semantics. This view has lost some of its appeal over the years due to the observation that certain fundamental assumptions found in the literature are not fully explanatory. Because of these diverging paths in accounting for the properties of the two kinds of phenomena, the mentioned parallelisms between them have not been satisfyingly treated. Recently, the debate how closely anaphora and presuppositions are related has therefore resurfaced.
Structure: Four renowned researchers from outside Göttingen each teach one four-day-long course (Monday to Thursday) on anaphora and presuppositions (for course descriptions see bottom) with local faculty providing comments and input for discussion. There are both theoretical and experimental courses covering the topic from cross-linguistic and cross-modular perspectives. Students will all take course 1 and moreover select one from courses 2 to 4. On Friday and Saturday an international workshop on the topic will take place. For this workshop an open call will be issued. The students accepted to the fall school are encouraged to submit abstracts for the workshop. They are guaranteed a poster presentation as a minimum. Moreover, the fall school will feature a social and cultural program.
Minimum Education Level: BA
Special Qualifications:
Who can apply: students from outside Germany with at least a BA in linguistics or a closely related field; background in formal semantics/pragmatics is an asset.
Description:
Faculty:
Cornelia Ebert (University of Frankfurt)
Gurmeet Kaur (University of Göttingen)
Clemens Mayr (University of Göttingen)
Hazel Pearson (Queen Mary)
Jacopo Romoli (Ulster University)
Markus Steinbach (University of Göttingen)
Yasutada Sudo (University College London)
Hedde Zeijlstra (University of Göttingen)
Course descriptions:
Course 1: Introduction to Dynamic Semantics (instructor: Sudo)
In this course we will discuss dynamic aspects of semantics and pragmatics,
especially focusing on anaphora (Lectures 1 and 2) and presupposition
projection (Lectures 3 and 4). We will introduce different versions of dynamic
semantics as analytical tools for understanding these phenomena in natural
language. No prior familiarity with dynamic semantics is required.
Course 2: Logophoricity and the semantics of attitude reports (instructor:
Pearson)
Logophoric pronouns, long-distance reflexives, shifted indexicals and the like
make up a class of anaphoric expressions that provide a window onto
perspectival phenomena and the semantics of attitude reports. We will survey a
cross-linguistic sample of cases and introduce the theoretical tools that have
been employed to analyse them. One goal of the course will be to consider how
these cases bear on the analysis of so-called 'de se' attitudes first
discussed by Lewis (1979) and Perry (1979). In this way, in-depth
cross-linguistic investigation sheds light on a classic philosophical debate,
while also furthering understanding of anaphoric dependencies as a core topic
at the intersection of syntax and semantics.
Course 3: Two approaches to free choice (instructor: Romoli)
As is well known, disjunctions in the scope of possibility modals give rise to
a conjunctive inference, generally referred to as `Free choice.' For example,
Angie can take Spanish or Calculus suggests that Angie can take Spanish and
can take Calculus (and hence that she can `choose' between the two). This
inference is problematic, since it is not validated by a classical semantics
for modals, in combination with a Boolean analysis of disjunction. Free choice
has sparked a whole industry of theories in philosophy of language and formal
semantics/pragmatics since the seventies. A theory of free choice should
answer questions such as: is free choice part of the semantics of sentences
like the one above or does it arise as an extra inference? And what is the
status of this reading? How does it interact with other aspects of meaning?
There are two main approaches in the literature, differing in particular as to
whether they derive free choice as part of the literal meaning of disjunction
and modals, or as an extra implicature. This course will outline the two
approaches and their divergent predictions and explore how they fare against
the various experimental evidence in the literature. In addition, it will
discuss the interaction between free choice and presuppositions. The main goal
of the course is to enable students to conduct their own experimental or
theoretical research on this complex and fascinating topic in
semantics/pragmatics.
Course 4: Gesture (instructor: Ebert)
In this course, we will take a closer look at gestures and their semantic
potential, in particular that of speech-accompanying gestures. We will discuss
current formal semantic approaches of gesture semantics and investigate
different types of gestures, and different ways of alignment of gesture and
speech. We will mainly be concerned with current formal semantic theories that
aim at capturing gesture contributions and the question how these theories may
further our understanding of the different dimensions of meaning. This
includes discussions of the question how the semantic impact of gestures is
handled best – as a specific kind of presupposition (Schlenker 2018) or as
conventional implicatures (Ebert & Ebert 2014) – as well as examinations of
anaphoric binding phenomena among different dimensions.
Linguistic Field(s): Linguistic Theories
Pragmatics
Psycholinguistics
Semantics
Tuition: 0 Other
Tuition Explanation: There are not tuition fees or other fees for this school.
Financial Aid: Applications accepted until
There is no need to apply for financial aid. This is taken car of automatically.
Students will be accommodated in rooms at Leine-Hotel close to the town center. Accommodation costs are fully covered for every admitted student.
There are funds for (partial) reimbursement of travel costs. Most if not all of the students will receive some aid. But the ultimate decision depends on the exact situation after the application deadline.
Financial Aid Instructions:
Registration: 21-Feb-2020 to 20-Mar-2020
Contact Person: Jessica Fenske-Schöbitz
Phone: +49 551 39-7575
Fax: +49 551 39-7575
Email: jessica.fenske at uni-goettingen.de
Apply by Email: jessica.fenske at uni-goettingen.de
Registration Instructions:
Send a short at most one-page CV and a half page describing why you would like
to be part of this fall school (preferably in one document). Send your
application to the address given. Notification of acceptance first half of
April.
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