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School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
This course introduces students to the basic problems in the study of meaning, in all areas of language (vocabulary, grammar, discourse). Students learn how to use a range of approaches to meaning analysis, including the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach; critically formulate and test hypotheses about what a word, an expression or a construction means; how to state this meaning in a clear, precise and illuminating way; and how to compare meanings across languages and cultures. They will also learn some of the basic ideas and techniques of Formal Semantics, for analysing meaning-based properties and relations of words and utterances, such as entailment and contradiction, and how NSM and Formal Semantics relate to other approaches to the study of meaning, such as componential analysis.
2 x Analytical Assignments
Learning outcomes 2, 3
Poster
Learning outcomes 2, 3
Essay (2000 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Class participation
Learning outcomes 1, 3
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Other Information The course is typically offered every second year.
There are no prescribed textbooks. Readings will be available on Wattle.