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Kies de Nederlandse taal
Course module: UCHUMLIN21
UCHUMLIN21
Language Form and Meaning
Course info
Course codeUCHUMLIN21
EC7.5
Course goals
After completing this course students are able to:
  • apply the basic concepts relevant for further study of syntax or semantics,
  • make accurate linguistic observations about the syntax of English and other languages,
  • use the syntactic model employed in the course to conduct basic syntactic analyses,
  • employ models of phrase and sentence meaning,
  • relate issues in syntax and semantics to current linguistic theory.
Content
The form of an utterance is essential to the meaning it conveys; in fact, essential to whether it conveys meaning at all.  The three words ‘chase’, ‘mice’, and ‘cats’, can be combined in six logically possible orders, but only two of the arrangements produce a sentence that is interpretable in English (Mice chase cats and Cats chase mice).  The rules of syntax determine which logical possibilities are sentences, while semantics relates to their interpretation. 
Describing the variety in languages requires accurate categorization of the syntactic and semantic function of elements in languages, which in turn allows important insights regarding the similarities between very different languages. Furthermore, a basic grasp of syntax and semantics is crucial to understanding the dominant issues in modern linguistics, as well as linguistics-related issues in philosophy and cognitive science. 
This course begins with an introduction to the philosophical and scientific background for the study of syntax and meaning. Next, fundamental syntactic categories and their relationship with the semantic categories relevant in language are identified.  Topics such as the elements of lexical meaning, phrase structure, syntactic movement, and the computation of sentence meaning, are also treated and placed within a theoretical context. 

Format
The class meets twice a week. Students are expected to have read assigned readings prior to class. Classroom sessions consist of a combination of lectures, discussions, group work, and student presentations. Comparisons are made between English and other languages to reinforce fundamental concepts and to illustrate the methods of analysis covered in the course. 
There are two tests (take home exams) covering the concepts and methods treated in the course (approximately weeks 7 and 15 of the semester), as well as regular written assignments (approximately biweekly) employing concepts and methods treated in the class, and presentations on relevant topics. 
The course serves as a basis for further specialization in fields where insights about the structure and meaning of language are relevant, including linguistics, philosophy, psychology, cognitive science and computer science.   
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Kies de Nederlandse taal