Department of Linguistics
Faculty of Foreign Languages
University of Jordan
Semantics (2205314)
First Semester 2013/2014
Course Instructor: Dr. Zahra Awad
Instructor's information
Course instructor: Dr. Zahra Awad
Office: Faculty of Foreign Languages- Ground floor
Office Hours:
Sunday, Tuesday Thursday
13:00—14:00 and by appointment
Phone: 5355000, # 24700
Email: z.awad @ju.edu.jo
Course Objectives
The course aims at introducing the principles of linguistic semantics. Emphasis will be on topics related
to pragmatics, utterance and sentence, reference, deixis, denotation and connotation, sense relations,
homonymy and polysemy, speech acts, aspect, variety of predicates, and the relation of semantics to
morphology.
Textbooks
1-Charles W. Kreidler (2006). Introducing English Semantics. Routledge, New York.
2-Hurford, James R., Brendan Heasley, and Michael B. Smith. 2007. Semantics: A Coursebook.
Cambridge University Press.
Learning Outcomes
Successful completion of this course should lead students to the following learning outcomes
A. Knowledge and Understanding
1. Know the basic theories of semantics.
2. Be able to discuss the nature of language, the structure of discourse; the distinction
between lexical and grammatical meanings.
3. understand and be able to explain terms related to reference, deixis and sense relations,
predicates , speech acts, aspect and etc,.
4. Be able to discuss and explain concepts related to homonymy, polysemy hyponymy,
antonym, synonymy and ambiguity.
5. Know ways of specifying word meaning, componential analysis, and lexical fields.
6. understand the role of the semantic context in any communication
B. Intellectual and analytical skills
1. To explore how languages organize and express meanings through words, parts of words and
sentences.
2. To be able to use appropriate analytical skills to specify the meaning of words, phrases and
sentences.
3. To be able to use semantic theories to explain knowledge of word meaning, phrase meaning
and sentence meaning.
4. To be able to perform componential analysis and to identify lexical fields of different words.
5. Deal with relations of word to other words and sentences to other sentences.
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C. Practical Skills
1. To be able to use semantic knowledge in different communicational situations.
2. To appropriately use semantic knowledge in choosing words, phrases and sentences for effective
communication.
D. Subject Specific Skills
1. To be able to use various semantic concepts to identify the meaning of words, phrases and sentences.
2. To be able to use componential analysis, and lexical fields to differentiate between the meanings of
words.
E. Transferable Skills
1. Display discussion skills through doing the exercises in the classroom.
2. Display effective communication through conveying accurate meaning by using appropriate words
and phrases.
Teaching Methods: Lectures, assignments, reports and discussions
Evaluation and Exams:
Class Discussion and assignments
Midterm Exam
Short Exam
Final Exam
Total
10 %
30%
10%
50%
100%
Course Contents and Schedule: Lectures: 16 weeks, 3 hours per week
Chapter
One
Titles& Topics
The study of meaning
Time frames
(3 hours)
Two
Language in use (pragmatics, utterance and sentence and etc,) PP. 17-35
(5 hours)
(5hours)
Three
The dimensions of meaning (reference, denotation & connotation, sense relations,
lexical and grammatical meaning and etc.)
PP. 41-56
Semantic Roles ( Sentence and proposition, Semantic roles , some changes in
valency) PP. 61-84
Four
( 6hours)
(6hours)
Five
Lexical relations (lexical fields, kinship, hyponymy, synonymy, autonomy
including its types, and etc.)
PP. 85-110
Midterm
Exam
To be scheduled
(1hour)
(6hours)
Seven
Reference ( referents and referring expressions, extension and intention, deixis,
anaphora, shifts, and referential ambiguity)
PP. 129- 151
Eight
Sentences and arguments (All types of clauses and syntactic ambiguity)
PP. 155-169
To be scheduled
(5 hours)
Short
Exam
30mins
( 5hours)
Eleven
Factivity, implication and modality (factivity, implicative predicates and
modality)
PP. 229-239
(3 hours)
Twelve
A variety of predicates (Attitudinal predicates, enabling and preventing,
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perceptual predicates)
Final
Exam
PP. 251-260
To be scheduled
(2 hours)
Total Hours
(48 hours)
COURSE GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS
1- Attendance: regular attendance is more than required and is a key factor that helps you gain better
knowledge and learning. Students must comply with the university regulations of attendance
policy.
2- Participation and attitude: Participation includes preparation of class materials, readings,
homework, discussion and active involvement in class note-taking. Every one must participate
with positive attitude in class so that she/he can develop knowledge and understanding of
important and sometimes controversial issues of the course. Outstanding participating students
with good attitude deserve the instructor's respect and a full mark in participation.
3- No disturbance: As a courtesy to others, please refrain from personal conversations. Disturbance
and interruptions are not allowed. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off. You be requested to
leave the class if you become a source of disturbance or interruption.
4- Approachability: Your instructor is approachable and receptive to all his students concerns and
questions. Please feel free to approach him in class or during office hours and appointments if you
have any questions or concerns that help you succeed in the course.
References
-K. Allan, 1986. Linguistic Meaning. 2 Volumes, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
-Diane Blakemore, 1992: Understanding Utterance : an introduction to pragmatics. Oxford: Blackwell.
-D .A. Cruse. 1986. Lexical Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
-Cliff Goddard and Ann Wierzbicka (eds), 1994. Semantic and Lexical Universals, Amsterdam-John
Benjamins.
-John Lyons, 1995 Linguistic Semantics: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press
- James Pustejovsky (ed.) 1993: Semantics and Lexicon. Dordrecht: Kluwer
- Daniel Vanderveken 1990: Meaning and Speech Acts .2 volumes. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
-James Hurford and Brenden Heasely 1999. Semantics: A course book .Cambridge University Press.
-Cruse, Alan. 2004. Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and
Pragmatics. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199263066.
-Saeed, John I. 2003. Semantics. 2nd Ed. Wiley-Blacwell. ISBN: 9780631226932.
Good Luck
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