BEAVER AND DEKKER

Language and Logic
DYNAMIC SEMANTICS AND INFORMATION INTERCHANGE

Advanced course

DAVID BEAVER, PAUL DEKKER and WILLEM GROENEVELD

ILLC/Department of Philosophy, University of Amsterdam,

Department of Linguistics, Stanford University and

Department of Philosophy, Utrecht University

Both weeks
dekker@illc.uva.nl, dib@stanford.edu and Willem.Groeneveld@phil.uu.nl

Course description

We will discuss a variety of formal systems concerned with the incremental and context dependent interpretation of natural language, considering both standard approaches to ``Dynamic Semantics'', and methods for extending dynamic systems to the multi-agent setting. The course aims at making students familiar with the philosophy and formal underpinnings of Dynamic Semantics, with the logical tools which have been developed, and with their application to relevant linguistic phenomena residing at the pragmatics-semantics interface (e.g. anaphora, presupposition, specificity and information structuring). The central theme throughout is the role of natural language in the dynamic process of information exchange.

Overview:

Electronic Course (6 weeks, plus additional experimentation week)

Introduction to Systems of Dynamic Interpretation (DRT, FCS, DPL, DMG) (First 3 weeks)
Anaphora, Presupposition, Modality, and Information Exchange (Second 3 weeks)

Summer School (two weeks)

Advanced Topics in Dynamic Semantics (first week) (Indexicality; Cross-Speaker Reference; Topic and Focus Structure)
Advanced Topics in Dynamic Semantics (second week) (Information packaging; Focusing; Functional and E-type pronouns Questions and Answers)

In 1996 we gave an experimental electronic course on dynamic semantics over the internet, a report of which can be found at URL <http://turing.wins.uva.nl/~pdekker/ECDS/>. The experiment was considered a success, and worthy of a follow up.

This time around, we felt it would be expedient to combine the advantages of long distance education with that of direct, face to face, instruction. The summer school provides an ideal opportunity to gather with the students we have first instructed in our electronic classroom. Needless to say, our class at the summer school would also be open to other students, provided they are familiar with the general area of dynamic semantics.

Prerequisites
Attendees for the electronic course should have a background in the formal analysis of the semantics and pragmatics of natural language and should be familiar with classical (predicate) logic. Prerequisite for the advanced part of the course will be familiarity with central concepts of the systems discussed in the first part, e.g. those of Discourse Representation Theory, File Change Semantics and Dynamic Predicate Logic..

Literature
No specific recommendation

HOME PROGRAMME CONTACT REGISTRATION

Language and Logic	DYNAMIC SEMANTICS AND INFORMATION INTERCHANGE
Advanced course	DAVID BEAVER, PAUL DEKKER and WILLEM GROENEVELD ILLC/Department of Philosophy, University of Amsterdam, Department of Linguistics, Stanford University and Department of Philosophy, Utrecht University
Both weeks	dekker@illc.uva.nl, dib@stanford.edu and Willem.Groeneveld@phil.uu.nl
Course description	We will discuss a variety of formal systems concerned with the incremental and context dependent interpretation of natural language, considering both standard approaches to ``Dynamic Semantics'', and methods for extending dynamic systems to the multi-agent setting. The course aims at making students familiar with the philosophy and formal underpinnings of Dynamic Semantics, with the logical tools which have been developed, and with their application to relevant linguistic phenomena residing at the pragmatics-semantics interface (e.g. anaphora, presupposition, specificity and information structuring). The central theme throughout is the role of natural language in the dynamic process of information exchange. Overview: Electronic Course (6 weeks, plus additional experimentation week) Introduction to Systems of Dynamic Interpretation (DRT, FCS, DPL, DMG) (First 3 weeks) Anaphora, Presupposition, Modality, and Information Exchange (Second 3 weeks) Summer School (two weeks) Advanced Topics in Dynamic Semantics (first week) (Indexicality; Cross-Speaker Reference; Topic and Focus Structure) Advanced Topics in Dynamic Semantics (second week) (Information packaging; Focusing; Functional and E-type pronouns Questions and Answers) In 1996 we gave an experimental electronic course on dynamic semantics over the internet, a report of which can be found at URL <http://turing.wins.uva.nl/~pdekker/ECDS/>. The experiment was considered a success, and worthy of a follow up. This time around, we felt it would be expedient to combine the advantages of long distance education with that of direct, face to face, instruction. The summer school provides an ideal opportunity to gather with the students we have first instructed in our electronic classroom. Needless to say, our class at the summer school would also be open to other students, provided they are familiar with the general area of dynamic semantics.
Prerequisites	Attendees for the electronic course should have a background in the formal analysis of the semantics and pragmatics of natural language and should be familiar with classical (predicate) logic. Prerequisite for the advanced part of the course will be familiarity with central concepts of the systems discussed in the first part, e.g. those of Discourse Representation Theory, File Change Semantics and Dynamic Predicate Logic..
Literature	No specific recommendation