24.979 Topics on meta-semantics

Amir Anvari, Kai von Fintel
Mondays 2-5
Room 32‑D461

This semester, we will explore the philosophy of natural language semantics, or meta-semantics. The overarching question will be: what has to be the case for a prominent branch of formal semantics, often referred to as Heim-and-Kratzer semantics, and various specific proposal made within it over years, to make any sense? The course will be split in two parts. In part one, our attention will be focused on what makes formal semantics formal: the emphasis on entailment and contradiction. These concepts seem to play important and diverse roles in semantic theorizing and, by extension, linguistic theory. What does this tell us about language and, by extension, how the mind works? In part two, we will discuss a series of issues, some of which may already be raised in part one. Possible topics include internalism vs externalism; the prospects for referential semantics; the idea of natural language metaphysics/ontology; the position of semantics vis-a-vis cognitive science and/or philosophy; questions of expressive power and type economy; issues of modularity; the connection between language and thought; critiques of mainstream formal semantics from authors like Chomsky, Jackendoff, and Pietroski.

We concur with the following from Bob Stalnaker's seminar description: "The schedule will be flexible and open ended, following the discussion where it leads, and spending as much time on each topic as it seems to need. That is, we will make it up as we go along."

As usual, to receive credit, we expect active participation in seminar meetings, weekly emailed questions and comments, and a final paper.