Modern semantics 2500-EN-CS-L-02

Students should be familiar with the basics of set theory, propositional logic and predicate (‘first order’) logic at the level of chapters 2–4 of the course textbook, available here: https://eecoppock.info/bootcamp/semantics-boot-camp.pdf. (We will quickly go through these chapters, but students without sufficient previous exposure to logic may need to study them more carefully.)

As a result of the course, students will get to know:
– the basics of the generative approach to the syntax–semantics interface (K_W01)
– the lambda calculus and its role in semantic compositionality (K_W04)
– the mechanisms of semantic compositionality as understood in contemporary linguistics and cognitive science (K_W05, K_U03)

Students will also learn in practice how to:
– represent meanings of natural language sentence in the language of logic (K_U08, K_U09)
– derive such meaning representations from meanings of particular words (K_U08, K_U09, K_U10)

Because of the interactive and logic-based nature of the course, students will also enhance their ability to:
– use the English language proficiently (K_U13)
– concisely articulate arguments concerning abstract and formal issues, and evaluate arguments of others (K_U14)
– identify potential methodological errors and gaps in both scientific and public argumentation (K_K01)

Assessment methods: Formal assessment will be made on the basis of homeworks and classtests.

Components of the final grade and their weights: There will be 2 classtest, in the case of each at leat 50% of points should be obtained. The average of these two results will be the basis for grading, as detailed below.

However, this basic grade may be raised (up to ½ grade, e.g., from 4+ to 5) based on class activity or particularly interesting solutions of homework exercises. On the other hand, the final mark will be lowered in the case of failed or not returned homeworks (½ of grade for each missing or failed homework, e.g., from 5 to 4+ or from 3 to fail, as there is no 2+). Homeworks will in general be rather simple – they will often be the exercises set in the textbook. Some of them may use the “Lambda Calculator” tool, which provides immediate feedback to students.

Grading scale: The average of the results of the two classtests will be the basis of grading:

< 55% – fail
< 64% – 3
< 72% – 3+
< 79% – 4
< 88% – 4+
< 95% – 5
>= 95% – 5!

These marks may be adjusted depending on activity and, especially, on homeworks, as detailed above.

Requirements for retaking the assessment: If less than 50% is obtained at a classtest, it must be retaken. (If more, it may be retaken, but the new result replaces the previous one, regardless of whether it is higher or lower.)

Exams in the exam session: No formal exam is planned, but it may be necessary to schedule retaking the second classtest during the exam session.

Attendance is required but will not be formally enforced. Regardless of this formal requirement, attendance is of crucial importance in practice, as we will be solving in the class the kinds of problems that will subsequently appear in classtests.

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

• Description of 2500-EN-CS-L-02 in USOSweb