2020-1 Semantics

This course provides an introductory study on meaning in language with a focus on English, covering such topics as propositions, referring expressions, universes of discourse, synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms, homonymy, polysemy, derivation, participation roles, and speech acts. During this course, learning mostly through inquiry and discovery, students are introduced to defined concepts with clarifying examples followed by exercises in applying the principles involved. On the whole, they are presented with cases pertinent to the topics and analyze the cases in prescribed ways.