Course title: Semantics and Pragmatics
Code: AN195 G3
Credits: Semester: Type of Class:
seminar
3
5
Evaluation:
sem. mark
Language of Instruction: English
Description:
The aim of the course unit is to familiarise students with the elementary questions of
meaning in natural languages and with the linguistic and logical tools of semantic and
pragmatic analysis. The course covers the following topics, in a selective manner: aspects
of lexical meaning, denotation and connotation, the theory of componential analysis,
meaning relations, the question of the compositionality of phrase and sentence meaning,
propositionality and truth-value semantics; some significant theories of utterance meaning
from speech act theory through the theory of conversational maxims to relevance theory,
questions of presupposition, reference, deixis, ambiguity, under-determination and
metaphor; the relationship of logic and natural language meaning; language philosophical
approaches to meaning; the relationship of semantic and conceptual structures, the physical
foundations of cognitive processes.
Readings:
Blakemore, D. Understanding Utterances. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1992.
Brinton, L. J. The Structure of Modern English. John Benjamins, Amsterdam, 2000.
Cann, R. Formal Semantics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993.
Cruse, D. Lexical Semantics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986.
Cutting, J. Pragmatics and Discourse. Routledge, London, 2002.
Johnson, M. The Body in the Mind. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Kempson, R. Semantic Theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1977.
Kiefer, F. Jelentéselmélet. Corvina, Budapest, 2000.
Leech, G. Semantics. Penguin Books, London, 1990.
Levinson, S. Pragmatics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983.
Lyons, J. Linguistic Semantics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995.
Sampson, G. Making Sense. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1980.
Taylor, K. Truth and Meaning. Blackwell, London, 1998.
Course director: dr. Vermes Albert PhD
Instructors: dr. Vermes Albert PhD, dr. Czeglédi Csaba CSc