Linguist 130a/230a: Introduction to semantics & pragmatics (2025)

Course Tue/Thu 10:30-11:50 am in 260-113
Teaching staff email
Canvas Submit work; internal course info
Ed forum Discussion
InstructorChris Potts
Office hrsThu 3:00-4:00 pm Pacific
TABüşra Marşan
TAJonathan WuWong
TAJi Hun Wang

Plan Assignment Reading etc.
Jan 7
  1. Overview of topics
  2. Screencast: Entailment
  3. The semantics of proper names
  4. Screencast: Proper names
  1. Assignment 1 [due Jan 21; tex]
  2. Syllabus quiz [due Jan 21]
  1. Partee 1995, p. 311-316
  2. Perspectives on meaning and interpretation
  3. Optional: Jackendoff 1996
  4. Optional: Lewis 1975
  5. Optional: Devitt and Sterelny 1995, §3–4
Jan 9
Jan 14
  1. Compositionality
  2. Adjectives and semantic composition
  3. Screencast: Adjectives
  1. Nefdt and Potts 2024
  2. Partee 1995, p. 316-330
Jan 16
Jan 21
  1. Compounds and the limits of compositionality
  1. Assignment 2 [due Jan 28; tex]
  1. Levin et al. 2019
Jan 23
Jan 28
  1. Semantic composition
  2. Semantic grammar in Python
  3. Screencast: Composition, part 1
  4. Screencast: Composition, part 2
  5. Screencast: Composition, part 3
  6. Screencast: Composition, part 4
  1. Assignment 3 [due Feb 4; tex]
Jan 30
Feb 4
  1. Quantifier properties
  2. Screencast: Quantifiers, part 1
  3. Screencast: Quantifiers, part 2
  4. Screencast: Quantifiers, part 3
  5. Screencast: Quantifiers, part 4
  1. Assignment 4 [due Feb 11; tex]
  1. Keenan 1996
  2. Optional: von Fintel and Matthewson 2008, §3
Feb 6
Feb 11
  1. Introduction to pragmatics
  1. Midterm exam [due Feb 18; tex]
  2. Guidance on final projects
Feb 13
Feb 18
  1. Conversational implicature
  1. Assignment 5 [due Feb 25]
  1. Grice 1975
  2. E.O. Keenan 1979
  3. Optional: Goodman and Frank 2016
  4. Optional: Stiller et al. 2011
Feb 20
Feb 25
  1. Presupposition
  2. Diagnosing different kinds of meaning
  1. Assignment 6 [due Mar 4]
  1. Degen & Tanenhaus 2015, p. 667-684
  2. Optional: Simons 2006, §1-3
Feb 27
Mar 4
  1. Vagueness and context dependence
  1. Assignment 7 [due Mar 11]
  1. Syrett et al. 2009, §2
  2. Optional: remaining sections of Syrett et al. 2009
Mar 6
Mar 11
  1. Speech acts
  1. Final exam distributed Mar 11 and due Mar 20, 6:30 pm
  2. Final projects due Mar 20, 6:30 pm
  3. All late work must be turned in by Mar 20, 6:30 pm
  1. Solan and Tiersma 2005, §3: "Consensual searches"
  2. Solan and Tiersma 2005, §4: "Interrogation, confession, and the right to counsel"
Mar 13
  1. Swearing
  1. Optional: Podcast: The Allusionist 4: Denotating the C-bomb
  2. Optional: Podcast: Every Little Thing: F-ck yeah: Can cursing make you stronger?

[Stanford W25 academic calendar]