Date: 2008-01-20 00:06 Subject: My semantics course at RGGU this semester Security: Public Location: Moscow Mood: cheerful Music: Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata, Rostropovich and Benjamin Britten Tags: semantics rggu teaching

This is an informal preliminary announcement -- I'll make a formal one via RGGU soon. This semester I'll teach an introduction to formal semantics at RGGU. I don't know the schedule yet. The course will begin with the usual introduction to formal semantics and the lambda calculus as in past courses at MGU and RGGU. This year after the first several weeks of introductory material we'll focus on the topic of ANAPHORA, something I haven't concentrated on in past years. Topics will include bound variable anaphora vs 'coreferential' anaphora, pragmatic aspects of anaphora and deixis, similarities between nominal and temporal anaphora, syntax-semantics issues including the analysis of reflexive pronouns, plain pronouns, "null" pronouns; VP anaphora; strict vs sloppy identity. We will try to look at most of the issues from a cross-linguistic perspective, but I will need the help of the participants for that. We will also look at similarities between the 'lifespan' of discourse referents and the 'lifespan' of presuppositions. One foundational reading will be Irene Heim's dissertation, which offers a formalization of the notion of a 'discourse referent' introduced by an indefinite NP, and which treats definite NPs as anaphoric expressions. We'll also look at work by Bach and Partee, by Reinhart and Reuland, by Kamp, and many others. We may also look at some work on adjectival and adverbial anaphoric expressions like такой, так by Landman and Morzycki.
    As usual, lectures, handouts, and the majority of the readings will be in English, but students can do assignments in Russian or English and discussion can be in any mixture of Russian and English. Handouts and most readings will be made available online. 
    Prospective participants and interested semanticists and syntacticians are very welcome to suggest topics related to anaphora to put onto the agenda.
    My husband and I will be away at a sanatorium at Voluevo from Jan 20 to Feb 12, but Iwe will be reachable by e-mail or by cell phone (I'm not putting my number here, but some of you know it, and probably most of you know someone who knows it. The LaTyp helpers at RGGU know it.  If classes start before Feb 12, I'll certainly come to class.  But between now and Feb 12 my access to the internet will be limited and I won't be following ЖЖ as closely as usual.