Inquisitive Semantics: Theoretical Foundations and Empirical Explorations : Spring 2010
• Amherst • UMass Amherst
We will first discuss some of the theoretical foundations of inquisitive semantics and pragmatics, and then explore several empirical domains. We will look at the interpretation of disjunction, questions, and existentials in various languages, in interaction with modality, conditionals, and focus. We will also consider evidentials, and the semantic contribution of certain prosodic features.
Assignments and grading
- Mid-term paper
Length: 5-10 pages
Due: March 22
Weight: 30% - Presentation
Length: depending on total number of presentations
Topic: either your own paper-in-progress, or related work
Date: 4/21 or 4/26
Weight: 20% - Final paper
Length: 10-20 pages
Due: May 15
Weight: 50%
Potential additional topics
- Inquisitive logic: Mascarenhas, Sano, Ciardelli, Roelofsen.
- First-order case: Ciardelli-09a, chapter 6, and Ciardelli-09b.
- Hypothetical information exchange: supposition, modal subordination, conditional questions, counterfactuals.
- Unconditionals: Rawlins, Kaufmann.
- Inquisitiveness cross-linguistically: Haspelmath-01, Bhatt-00
- Questions and indefinites in dynamic semantics: Haida.
- Intervention effects: Beck, Kim, Pesetsky, Haida, Cable.
- Question-based models of discourse: Roberts, Büring.
- Acquisition of disjunctive questions in Japanese and Mandarin: Akagi.
- Exhausitivity marking in Hungarian: Balogh-09, ch.4,5
Schedule
| Date | Topic | Reading | Optional reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (1/25) | Intro to inquisitive semantics (slides) From truth- and answerhood-conditions to propositions as proposals From partitions to possibilities |
GR-09a sections 1-3 GR-10-notes Masc-09-first-part |
CR-09-jpl Groe-09 Groe-99 Masc-09 |
| Week 2 (2/1) | Inquisitive semantics and pragmatics (slides) | GR-09b sections 4-6 |
|
| Week 3 (2/8) | Inquisitive implicatures (slides) Focus, congruence, and exhaustification (slides) Computing compliance (slides) (website) |
GR-09b sections 7 |
Balogh-09 chapters 2-4 CCGR-09-lori CR-09-jpl |
| Week 4 (2/16) (TUE) | Attentive might in inquisitive semantics | CGR-10 | Zimmermann-00 |
| Week 5 (2/22) | Attentive might in inquisitive pragmatics | CGR-10 | |
| Week 6 (3/1) | Disjunction, intonation, and highlighting (slides) Joint presentation with Kathryn Pruitt |
PR-10 | Pruitt-07, RvG-10 Aloni-Egre-de-Jager-09, Schaffer-07 |
| Week 7 (3/8) | Location: Bartlett 125 Inner negation polar questions Martin Walkow Polar questions in Finnish Anisa Schardl Seminar ends at 4:25, job-talk at 4:30 |
||
| ----Spring break---- | |||
| Week 8 (3/22) | Location: Bartlett 125 Evidentials in Cheyenne Sarah Murray (Rutgers) Seminar ends at 4:25, job-talk at 4:30 |
Murray-09a | Murray-09b |
| Week 11 (3/29) | Questions in Yukatek Maya Scott Anderbois (UCSC) |
Anderbois-10a | Anderbois-10b |
| Week 10 (4/5) | Wh-questions in Tlingit Seth Cable |
Cable-08 Jayaseelan-01 Jayaseelan-08 |
Cable-10 |
| Week 9 (4/12) | Radical inquisitive semantics | GR-10 | |
| Week 12 (4/21) (WED) | More radical inquisitive semantics Alternatives and counterfactuals |
GR-10 Alonso-Ovalle-06, chapters 1-2 |
Kratzer-Shimoyama-01 |
| Week 13 (4/26) | Rise-fall-rise and inquisitive semantics Noah Constant Questions in Yudja Suzi Lima Modality and evidentiality Aynat Rubinstein |
||
| Week 14 (5/3) | ----Finale---- |