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  3. Master in Language Sciences
  4. area of specialisation in Linguistic Revision and Consultancy
  5. Topics in Semantics

Topics in Semantics

Objectives

The course aims to make the student:
a) Deepen knowledge of advanced topics in the area of semantics;
b) Identify and characterize research in semantics, at the level of grammatical categories and transcategorially;
c) Formulate theoretical and methodological questions with a view to describing topics relating to the lexicon, syntaxand pragmatics;
d) Develop a description and explanation of a specific topic;
e) Develop critical skills and the ability to evaluate semantic analysis proposals.

General characterization

Code

02112469

Credits

5.0

Responsible teacher

Maria Clara Abelho Amante Nunes Correia

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - 140

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

N/A

Bibliography

  • Abbott, B. (2019) Indefiniteness of definiteness. In Jeanette Gundel & B. Abbott (eds). The Oxford Handbook ofReference. Oxford: OUP
  • Culioli, A. (1995). Cognition and Representation in Linguistic Theory. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John BenjaminsPublishing.
  • Culioli, A. 2018. Pour une linguistique de l’énonciation, tome IV. Tours et détours, Limoges: Lambert-Lucas.
  • Desclés, J.-P. & Z. Guentchéva (2011) Universals and Typology. In Binnick, R. (ed) The Oxford Handbook of tense andaspect. Oxford: OUP, pp. 123-154.
  • Fortuin, E. (2019) Universality and language-dependency of tense and aspect: Performatives from a crosslinguisticperspective. Linguistic Typology, vol. 23, nº 1, pp. 1-58. https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2018-0018
  • Laca, B. (2005) Indefinites, quantifiers, and pluractionals. What scope effects tell us about event pluralities. In:Vogeleer, S. & L. Tasmowski (eds) Non-definiteness and plurality. Amsterdam: Benjamins http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/10/46/43/PDF/LacaIndPlu

Teaching method

The curricular unit is characterized by a modular organization. Each of the themes can be broken down into other sub-themes. A more interactive and less expository teaching method is adopted.

Evaluation method

Continuous assessment - Critical review of a paper(20%), Individual written essay that describes and analyzes a syntactic phenomenon(60%), Small exercises(20%)

Subject matter

A. Theoretical-methodological topics;
1. Meaning and reference; 2. Reference and referentiality; 3. Tenses and temporalities; 4. Aspectual marking; 5.Modality(ies) and modal values; 6. Transcategoriality;
B. Selected topics;
1. Grammaticalization of forms and constructions: the future in English and in Portuguese; 2. Values of forms andconstructions in texts: temporal and spatial organizers; 3. Enunciative distance markers: evidentiality and mediative.