Current Issues in the Syntax/Semantics Interface: Degree Constructions Cross-linguistically

Transcription

1 Current Issues in the Syntax/Semantics Interface: Degree Constructions Cross-linguistically LING 483 Special Topics 1 (CRN 5084) LING 682 Selected Topics 1 (CRN 5535) TTh 13:05-14: Dr. Penfield Rm 002 Office hours: Tuesday 14:30-16:30 & by appointment Office location: 1085 Dr. Penfield, Rm 219 Phone: Mail under Course Tools on mycourses Course Description This course explores current cross-linguistic issues in the interface between syntax and semantics. Our particular focus will be on the grammar of comparison and degree (e.g., comparatives, superlatives, degree questions). Degree systems are known to interact with a whole range of other phenomena, e.g., wh-movement, focus, ellipsis, plurality, modification, quantification, modality, and negation. We will explore some of these phenomena in detail. Our point of departure is the degree systems in English and Japanese, and students will be expected to conduct comparative studies with other languages of their interest. Prerequisites LING 360 (Intro to Semantics) and LING 371 (Syntax 1); or permission of instructor. Course Requirements and Method of Evaluation Homework assignments: 30% (2 x 15%) Presentation: 15% Final paper proposal: not graded Final paper presentation: 10% Final paper (max. 10 pages): 35% Contributions to class discussions: 10% 1

2 Homework Assignments Assignment 1: due Thursday, September 30 Assignment 2: due Thursday, October 21 Unless otherwise indicated, you may discuss written assignments with one partner. However, you must write up the assignments on your own. If you choose to work in pairs, write down the name of your partner. Make sure you try to solve the problems on your own first before you meet and discuss them with your partner. Near identical answers will be treated as probable cases of scholastic dishonesty and will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. Presentation You will present a summary of one of the articles listed under Related readings in the Schedule, or picked by you in consultation with the instructor. More details to come when the number of participants is more or less set. Final Paper You will choose a topic of your interest that relates to the topics covered in the course. First meeting: weeks 2-4 Second meeting: weeks 5-7 Final paper proposal: due Thursday, October 28 Final paper presentation: weeks 13 & 14 Final paper: due Wednesday, December 8, noon Course Policies Submission of written work will only be accepted in class, at the beginning of class on the due date. No electronic submission of assignments will be accepted, unless there are special circumstances. No late assignments will be accepted unless you contact me with a legitimate excuse preferrably before the due date or within 24 hours of the missed assignment, followed up with a valid written document. There will be no extra credit work or reweighting of grades in this course. If you have specific questions about assignments, please try to ask them in person whenever you can to avoid unfortunate miscommunication due to the nature of communication. Limit the use of Mail on WebCT to other purposes and trivial questions that can be handled easily. If you have 2

3 no choice but to ask questions via Mail, I will try to answer them as quickly as I can, but please note that my response time could be around 24 to 48 hours. I will try to post handouts on WebCT by 5 p.m. on the day before class. If anything prevents me from doing so in time, I will bring copies to class. Remember to bring handouts from a previous class if any materials are left undiscussed. Academic Integrity and Other Statements McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see for more information). In accord with McGill University s Charter of Students Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. 3

4 Schedule (revised: Sept 9, 2010) (subject to change) Wk Date Topic Required readings Related readings Notes 1 Sep. 2 Introduction 2 Sep. 7 Case study in variation Shimoyama (2010) Beck et al. mtg1 (2004); Kennedy (2007) Sep. 9 Sudo (2010) 3 Sep. 14 Background building Beck (to appear) mtg1 Sep Sep. 21 Parameters Beck et al. (2009) mtg1 Sep Sep. 28 Ellipsis Bhatt and Takahahi (2010) Bhatt and Takahashi (to appear); Merchant (2009); Bouchard (2010) Sep. 30 Lechner (2001, 2004); Xiang (2003); Lin (2009) 6 Oct. 5 Measure phrases Bogal-Allbritten (2010) Sawada and mtg2 Grano (2009); Svenonius and Kennedy (2006) Oct. 7 7 Oct. 12 Degree movement Heim (1999) mtg2 Oct Oct. 19 Structural diagnostics Shimoyama (to appear) Vander Klok (2009) Oct Oct. 26 NP/DP parameter Bošković and Gajewski (to appear) Miyagawa (2008) Oct Nov. 2 Degree questions TBA Nov Nov. 9 Negative island Shimoyama & Schwarz Nov Nov. 16 Contrastiveness Tomioka (2009) Wagner (2010) Nov Nov. 23 TBA Nov. 25 Presentations 14 Nov. 30 Presentations Dec. 8 Final paper due at 12 noon mtg2 asst1 asst2 proposal 4

5 To be expanded References Baker, Mark C Lexical categories: Verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Cambridge Univ Pr. Beck, Sigrid. to appear. Comparison constructions. In Semantics: An international handbook of natural language meaning, ed. Klaus von Heusinger Maienborn, Claudia and Paul Portner. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Beck, Sigrid, Sveta Krasikova, Daniel Fleischer, Remus Gergel, Stefan Hofstetter, Christiane Savelsberg, John Vanderelst, and Elisabeth Villalta Crosslinguistic Variation in Comparison Constructions. Linguistic Variation Yearbook 9:1 66. Beck, Sigrid, Toshiko Oda, and Koji Sugisaki Parametric variation in the semantics of comparison: Japanese. Journal of East Asian Linguistics 13: Bhatt, Rajesh, and Shoichi Takahahi Review of Lechner (2004). Ms. University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Nihon University. Bhatt, Rajesh, and Shoichi Takahashi. to appear. Reduced and unreduced phrasal comparatives. Natural language and linguistic theory. Bogal-Allbritten, Elizabeth Decomposing adjectival meaning in Navajo. Ms. University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Bošković, Željko, and Jon Gajewski. to appear. Semantic Correlates of the NP/DP Parameter. In Proceedings of NELS 39. Bouchard, David-Étienne Degree quantifiers. Ms. PhD thesis proposal, McGIll University. Giannakidou, Anastasia, and Suwon Yoon. to appear. The subjective mode of comparison: metalinguistic comparatives in Greek and Korean. Natural language and linguistic theory. Heim, Irene Notes on superlatives. Ms. MIT. 5

6 Kennedy, Christopher Modes of comparison. In Proceedings from the Annual Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, volume 43, Chicago Linguistic Society. Lechner, Winfried Reduced and phrasal comparatives. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 19: URL /A: Lechner, Winfried Ellipsis in comparatives. Mouton De Gruyter. Lin, Jo-wang Chinese comparatives and their implicational parameters. Natural Language Semantics 17:1 27. URL /s Matsui, Ai, and Yusuke Kubota. to appear. Comparatives and Contrastiveness: Semantics and Pragmatics of Japanese Hoo Comparatives. In Proceedings of Formal Approaches to Japanese Linguistics, volume 5. Merchant, Jason Phrasal and clausal comparatives in greek and the abstractness of syntax. Journal of Greek Linguistics 9: Miyagawa, Shigeru Genitive subjects in Altaic. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics (WAFL4), volume 56, MIT Working Papers in Linguistics. Rett, Jessica Antonymy and evaluativity. In Proceedings of salt xvii. CLC Publications. Sawada, Osamu, and Thomas Grano Scale structure, coercion, and the interpretation of measure phrases in Japanese. Ms. University of Chicago. Schwarz, Bernhard, and. to appear. Negative Islands and obviation by wa in Japanese degree questions. In Proceedings of SALT 20, ed. David Lutz et al. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University. Shimoyama, Junko Cross-linguistic (non-)variation in clausal comparatives. Ms. McGIll University. 6

7 Shimoyama, Junko. to appear. Degree quantification and the size of noun modifiers. In Japanese/Korean Linguistics, volume 18. Stanford: CSLI Publications. Shimoyama, Junko, and Bernhard Schwarz. to appear. Japanese wa: Negative Islands and anti-exhaustivity. In Proceedings of FAJL 5, ed. Ryan Bennett et al. Cambridge: MIT Working Papers in Linguistics. Stassen, Leon Comparison and universal grammar. Blackwell. Stassen, Leon Comparative constructions. In The world atlas of language structures, ed. David Gil Martin Haspelmath, Matthew S. Dryer and Bernard Comrie, Oxford University Press. Sudo, Yasutada Hidden nominal structures in japanese clausal compaaratives. Ms. MIT. Svenonius, Peter, and Christopher Kennedy Northern Norwegian degree questions and the syntax of measurement. In Phases of interpretation, ed. M. Farascarelli, Mouton de Gruyter. Tomioka, Satoshi Contrastive topics operate on Speech Acts. In Information structure: Theoretical, typological, and experimental perspectives, ed. Malte Zimmermann and Caroline Féry, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ultan, Russell Some features of basic comparative constructions. In Stanford working papers on language universals, volume 9, Stanford University. Vander Klok, Jozina Adjectival modification in Javanese. Ms. Evaluation paper, McGill University. Wagner, Michael Contrastive topics decomposed. Ms. McGIll University. Xiang, M A phrasal analysis of Chinese comparatives. In Proceedings from the Annual Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, volume 39, Chicago Ling Society. 7