NOTE: this time has been changed to 10-12 on Wednesdays. Otherwise, everything else is the same.

The answer to the question "Is there any time for scope?" could be "No, there is no time for scope", but the correct answer, "Yes, there is any time for scope", is ungrammatical in English, even though it ought to make perfect sense---after all, any time should be available for talking about scope. "Any" is a quantifier that can only "live" in the scope of certain other operators, but how this works is one of linguistics' most intractable puzzles.

This seminar focuses on the concept of scope in language. Scope is a kind of semi-invisible "action-at-a-distance" with effects that interact with syntax, semantics, and discourse. "Every child climbed a tree": does that mean that all the children climbed one tree?

We will touch on multiple aspects of scope: formal, theoretical, psycholinguistic, and computational/application-related, with a special focus on incremental processing (the "time" for scope). Students from all backgrounds are invited to take this course. However, a little bit of formal semantics or syntax background is recommended.

The seminar will consist of a small number of lectures by Dr. Sayeed, and then a wide range of papers will be offered for student presentations that should allow various interests to be covered. BSc and MSc students are welcome.

You are expected to do one presentation. Some of you will want to submit term papers for additional credit. Some of you will want an oral exam. The presentation and/or term paper should cover either a linguistic phenomenon relevant across languages or a particular general theoretical point. For the presentation, you can just present a single paper (in detail) if you like. I do not demand PowerPoint, particularly for theoretical work -- a handout and whiteboard presentation is perfectly good and in keeping with traditional style for theorists. You can approach me for topics and literature suggestions, just make an appointment by email.

Your participation in the presentations/discussions led by your peers is also important...

I will lecture for a few weeks, and then we will switch to student-led presentations/discussions. I may take up lecturing again if we run out of student presentations, but it will be in discussion group form. There'll usually be not more than one paper or book chapter to be read each week.