ENGL 408
SEMANTICS AND PRAGAMTICS
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name
: Dr. Francisco Perlas Dumanig
Instructor Address
: Department of English /Lecturer
(Tel. Extn: 539)
Al Buraimi University College
Al Buraimi.
E-mail francisco@buc.edu.om
Office Hours
: Mon & Wed: 2:30 to 3:30 P.M
Sun & Tues: 2.00 P. M to 3.30
Academic Year
: 2015-2016
Semester
: Semester 1
Department Name
: Department of English
Program Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes to be achieved by this course:
 Our graduate use various aspects of English linguistics for cross
cultural communication
Course Information
Course Title
: Semantics and Pragmatics
Course Code
: ENG 408
Prerequisite
: Introduction to Linguistics
Credits
:3
Teaching and Learning Activities:
1. Methodology:





Explanations by the Instructor
Group / Pair Work
Class discussion
Individualized conferencing
Assignments
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


Presentations
Visiting the library
Surfing the internet
2. Interactive Lectures and Tutorials:
 There are 3 hours of lecture per week.
 Basic knowledge of the course is presented with power point slides.
 Basic concepts and techniques are illustrated withclass room
exercises and examples.
 Quizzes/Assignments/Lab
sheets
are
given
for
its
discussion/solution and expect an active participation with queries
and answers.
3. Out-side classroom activities:
 There are 6 hours of lecture consultations (office hours) per week.
Course Description:
The course introduces various approaches to the study of meaning in
language both at the word and at the sentence levels. It examines linguistic
reference and truth conditions of linguistic expressions and signs. It also
explores the role of shared inferential strategies, presuppositions, and
speech acts in human communication. The students realize how situational
contexts determine language use.
Student Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course the students should be able to:
1. Distinguish semantics and pragmatics, utterances and sentences
2. Analyze and discuss the three stages of meaning
3. Explain concepts:denotation and connotation, senders meaning and
addressee’s meaningsense, reference, referents referring expression,
prototype, hyponymy, compositionality andimplicature
4. Decide propositions and entailments
5. Classify sense relations: synonyms – paraphrase – homophones –
homonyms – polysemy and antonyms – converses - gradability, and
complementaries, incompatability
6. Explain the conversational implicatures, presupposition and speech
acts
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Course Study Plan
No
Description
1
Classes begin + orientation to courses content &
objectives
What is semantics? – What is pragmatics – Semantics
versus Pragmatics
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Timing
(in Weeks)
1Week
1 Week
Types of Meaning – sender’s meaning vs addressee’s
meaning
Sense, reference and deixis
Propositions, compositionality, entailment
Sense relations - synonyms – paraphrase –
homophones – homonyms - polysemy
1 Week
Test1
Prototype – hyponymy – hierarchy of hyponymy incompatibility
Causatives
Irony, presupposition and metonymy
Modality
Test2
Conversational implicatures: Gricean Maxims
Presuppositions
Speech Acts
1 Week
1 Week
16
Final Examination
&17
Total No of Weeks
1 Week
1 Week
1 Week
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
2 Weeks
17 Weeks
Assignments:
Assignments/projects are designed based on the syllabus of the course and
it may consist of exercises directly or indirectly related with the topic taught
during the class. Assignments should be submitted to the instructor on or
before its due date for submission. Specify necessary identification details
such as your Name, ID Number, Section, Course Code, Course Name and
Instructor Name on the assignment. Assignments will not be accepted under
any circumstances after a major exam has been given for that subject area
and a grade zero will be given automatically for that assignment.
Attendance Policy:
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Regular class attendance is expected from all students. Attendance falling
below 80% will result such students becoming ineligible to sit for the final
examination. Absence from lectures should be informed to the Registrar.
Emergency cases of absence due to hospitalization or due to death of an
immediate family member should be supported with approved documental
evidence, so that it can be considered favorably in such cases towards its
absence. In such cases absentees will be awarded “Drop” rather than “Fail”.
Assessment and Grading
Mark Range
Test1
Test2
Final Exam
Project/
Quiz
Presentation
/
Assignment
/
participatio
n
Total
Outcome
1
Outcome
2
Outcome 3
2
4
10
Outcome
4
4
3
Outcome
5
Outcome
6
10
10
7
10
Tota
l
Mar
k
20
20
50
5
5
20
1.5
1.5
2
2
1.5
1.5
10
8.5
10.5
32
9
21.5
18.5
100
Test1 (20%), Test2 (20%), Final Exam (50%), participation and attendance
(10%)
Test 1: Marks: 20 –written test
Test 2: Marks: 20 - written test
Others: Marks: 10 – for attendance and participation
Final Exam: Marks: 50.
Assessment Criteria:
The final grade in the course will be determined by the following scale of
percentages
Mark
95- 90- 85- 80- 75- 70- 65- 60- 55- 50- 0Range
100
94
89
84
79
74
69
64
59
54 49
Grade
4
3.7 3.3
3
2.7 2.3
2
1.7 1.3
1
0
Points
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
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Supplementary Materials
Plagiarism Warning
Al Buraimi University College Student Plagiarism Policy
“Plagiarism is using someone else’s work, in whole or in part, as one’s own
without crediting or citing that source properly. It also occurs if the
permission has not been obtained from the author to use his or her work. It
includes all electronic sources, all printed and written sources; and all verbal
sources. In BUC sharing one’s work with other students is also considered an
act of plagiarism. Plagiarism can lead to punishment ranging up to giving
grade (f) in the course or dismissal from the college”.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials
Recommended Text Book:
Griffiths, P. (2007). An Introduction to English Semantics and Pragmatics.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
ISBN 0-7486-1632-2
Other Reference Books:
Hurford, J. R., Heasley, B., Smith, M. B. (1999). Semantics: A course book.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 978-0521-67187-3
Recommended Websites and Links
www.pearsoned.co.uk/ogrady
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