BA Linguistics and Japanese

Year of entry: 2021

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Course unit details:
Study of Meaning

Unit code	LELA10332
Credit rating	20
Unit level	Level 1
Teaching period(s)	Semester 2
Offered by	Linguistics & English Language
Available as a free choice unit?	Yes

Overview

This course unit will provide an introduction to the conceptual, empirical and formal foundations of the study of meaning. We will look at how sentence meaning is composed from the meanings of the words it contains and how it relates to the situations in the world it describes. We will learn about the structure of the lexicon, lexical meaning relations, and the role of metaphor and metonymy in meaning extension. In addition, we will look at how context contributes to the resolution of lexical and structural ambiguity and the reduction of vagueness. Students will also be introduced to empirical approaches to the study of meaning.

Aims

The course unit aims to increase students’ awareness of the complexity of analysing the meanings of lexical items and complex expressions, of cross-linguistic differences, and of methods of analysis in the field of semantics. It will serve as a foundation for more advanced study of semantics and pragmatics.

Knowledge and understanding

Students will gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of the following essential semantic notions: (i) dimensions of meaning, (ii) compositionality, (iii) lexical meaning relations, (iv) ambiguity and vagueness,and (iv) the use of set theory in the study of meaning.

Intellectual skills

Students will develop intellectual skills of:

accuracy of analysis,
distinguishing between different dimensions of meaning, and
identifying logical relations between sentences

Practical skills

Students will develop practical skills of:

identifying different types of meaning in texts
using different sources of data,
providing concise and precise argumentation orally and in writing.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Students will develop transferable skills of:

awareness of the communicative impact of word choice and choice of expressions,
argumentation using empirical evidence, and
awareness of cross-linguistic differences.

Employability skills

Other: The ability to discuss meaning differences between individual words and between utterances is relevant to a range of professions including language teaching, speech and language therapy, law, journalism, and any other career involving written texts, spoken argumentation, or intercultural communication. The analytical and problem solving skills developed in this class are a life skill that will be useful in any job.

Assessment methods

Weekly exercise sheet w/ problem sets	N/A
Two online tests consisting of a mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions	2 x 25% = 50%
Written exam w/ multiple choice and definition questions, problem sets. If this course is taught online, the exam will also be online	50%

Feedback methods

Feedback method	Formative or Summative
Comments on students’ solutions to seminar exercises and their contribution to the seminar discussions	Formative
Feedback during individual consultation hours	Formative
Written feedback on assignments and instant feedback to Blackboard online quizzes	Formative and summative

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam	1.5
Lectures	22
Seminars	11

Independent study hours
Independent study	167

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Martina Faller	Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Recommended for the following Year 2 course units:

LELA20281 Semantics

LELA20292 Pragmatics:Meaning, Context and Interaction

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