Modern semantics 2500-EN-COG-F1
Seminarium (SEM) Semestr zimowy 2019/20

The course very roughly follows the not-so-new but still very relevant

textbook “Semantics in Generative Grammar” by Irene Heim and Angelika

Kratzer. While the textbook was first published (by Blackwell) in 1998, it is

still treated as lingua franca in formal semantics – familiarity with it is

often assumed in current semantic publications. The course usually covers

the first 6–7 chapters of the textbook, but it also includes material outside

of the textbook; moreover, unlike in the textbook, in the course we will to

a large extent rely on meaning representations in the language of

predicate logic.

Formal assessment will be made on the basis of homeworks and

classtests. There will be 3 or 4 classtests, in the case of each at leat 50%

of points should be obtained. The average of these percentages will be

the basis of grading:

< 55% – fail

< 64% – 3

< 72% – 3+

< 79% – 4

< 88% – 4+

< 95% – 5

>= 95% – 5!

However, additional points may be given for class activity. On the other

hand, the final mark will be lowered in the case of failed or not returned

homeworks (1/4 of grade for each lacking homework). Homeworks will in

general be rather simple and will serve as practice before classtests. Most

of them will use the “Lambda Calculator” tool which provides immediate

feedback to students.

There is no formal requirement to attend the classes but there is a very

strong practical requirement to do so: homeworks and classtests will

verify the knowledge of mechanisms and conventions introduced during

classes, and these will differ in various respects from those of any existing

textbook, including Heim and Kratzer 1998.