Semantics and Lexicology
SVEM21, Fall 2009
Jordan Zlatev (JZ) and Lars-Åke Henningsson (LÅH)
Short course description
This is an advanced course in semantics, adopting a broadly cognitive-functional approach to
linguistic meaning. It focuses on two themes:
 Methodologies in the study of semantics, such as intuition-based analysis, the use of corpora,
cross-linguistic comparison, field work and experimentation
 The relationship between lexical and grammatical meaning
Schedule
#
1
Date
10/11
Tus
13/11
Fri
17/11
Tis
20/11
Fri
23/11
Mon
Time
13-15
Topic
Introduction
Lecturer
JZ
Read/Present
13-15
The functional-typological approach
LÅH
Croft (2003)
15-17
Methods in the study of semantics:
“Spatial semantics”
Corpus-based semantics: “Discourse
metaphors”
Lexical semantic typology:
“Body parts”
JZ
Zlatev (2007)
JZ
Zinken (2007)
LÅH
6
27/11
Fri
13-15
Motion in language and experience
JZ (and Johan
Blomberg)
7
30/11
Mon
4/12
Fri
10-12
LÅH
13-15
Grammatical semantic typology:
“Semantic maps”
Discussion of students’ projects
8/12
Tus
11/12
Fri
14/12
Mon
18/12
Fri
15-17
Grammar and experience
LÅH
Enfield (2006)
Enfield et al.
(2006)
Zlatev,
Blomberg &
David (2009)
Haspelmath
(2003)
Short
presentation of
individual or
group projects
Croft (2007)
10-12
Polysemy and generality
JZ
10-12
Grammaticalization and experience:
“Subjectification”
Project presentations
JZ
2
3
4
5
8
9
10
11
12
13-15
10-12
13:0016:00
21/12
22/12
12/1
Geeraerts
(1993)
Langacker
(2006)
Oral version of
project, using
ppt and/or
handout
Peer-review of
project
presentation
Take home exams given
Papers/take
home exams
submitted
Learning activities



Lectures in ”seminar form”: the readings for each session are to be read in advance. The
lecturer will summarize the main points, but active participation is required.
Individual (or small group) projects are to be defined by the middle of the course, with the
help of the teachers (who will function as “supervisors”). Students will work independently on
these, and present them orally at the end of the class.
“Peer-reviews” of these presentations will be submitted (to lecturers and presenters) within 3
days: (a) what I learned from the presentation, (b) feedback on the form/clarity of the
presentation (1 page)
Examination
To fulfill the requirements for the course, each student should complete the following:




Active participation: Obligatory attendance of all classes. If a class is missed, a one-page
summary of the main ideas of the text should be submitted by the next date.
Oral presentation of individual or group project
1 page “peer review”
10-12 page paper (5000-8000 words), possibly on the topic of the project OR take-home exam
Course literature
*Croft, William. 2003. Typology and Universals. Chapter 1. CUP.
Croft, William. 2007. The origins of grammar in the verbalization of experience. Cognitive Linguistics
18:339-382.
Enfield, N.J. , Majid, Asifa, van Staden, Miriam. 2006. Cross-linguistic categorisation of the body:
Introduction, Language Sciences 28, 137–147.
Enfield, N.J. 2006. Elicitation guide on parts of the body, Language Sciences 28, 148–157.
*Geeraerts, Dirk. 1993. Vagueness’s puzzles, polysemy’s vagaries. Cognitive Linguistics 4:223-272.
*Haspelmath, Martin. 2003. The geometry of grammatical meaning: Semantic maps and crosslinguistic comparison. In Tomasello, Michael (ed.), The new psychology of language: cognitive and
functional approaches, 211-242. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
*Langacker, Ronald. 2006. Subjectification, grammaticization, and conceptual archetypes. In
Subjectification, Various paths to subjectivity, Athanasiadou, Angeliki, Costas Canakis & Bert
Cornillie, 17-40, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Zinken, Jörg. 2007. Discourse metaphors: The link between figurative language and habitual
analogies. Cognitive Linguistics: 445-466.
*Zlatev, Jordan. 2007. Spatial semantics. In Geeraerts, Dirk & Hubert Cuyckens, The Oxford
Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics, 318-350. Oxford: OUP.
*Zlatev, J., J. Blomberg & C. David. 2009. Translocation, language and the categorization of
experience. In Space in language and cognition: The state of the art, P. Chilton & V. Evans (eds.)
London: Equinox.
* Copies will be provided. The remaining texts are to be downloaded using ELIN.