NLP Reading Group at Stony Brook
Event Description
LIN 627: Pragmatics Seminar
Th 3.30-6.20, Old Computer Science Building - CS2311, Zoom option
Instructor: Owen Rambow
Pragmatics is the study of how context (linguistic and non-linguistic) affects language use: the utterer (speaker or writer) chooses among many linguistic means licensed by the grammar of the language. Core explanatory notions in pragmatics are the common ground between utterer and addressee, and the use of speech acts to change the common ground.
This seminar will investigate the proposal of Grice, which has been called intentionalism. According to Grice, an utterer forms a communicative intention, performs a speech act to achieve the intention, and the speech act succeeds when the addressee recognizes the intention. The result is a change in common ground. With intentionalism, the notion of cognitive state becomes central to pragmatic theory. We will investigate Gricean intentionalism, including formalizations such as Stalnaker's, empirical evidence from cognitive science, and alternate pragmatic theories. In the second part of the course, we will then examine specific issues in pragmatics in light of the foundational theories we have discussed, including information structure, specific linguistic issues such as discourse particles, intonation, and politeness, and neuro-divergent communication. We will pay attention to empirical evidence throughout the course.
You can enroll for 0-3 credits, and further topics of interest may be included.
List of papers: https://protect.checkpoint.com
Th 3.30-6.20, Old Computer Science Building - CS2311, Zoom option
Instructor: Owen Rambow
Pragmatics is the study of how context (linguistic and non-linguistic) affects language use: the utterer (speaker or writer) chooses among many linguistic means licensed by the grammar of the language. Core explanatory notions in pragmatics are the common ground between utterer and addressee, and the use of speech acts to change the common ground.
This seminar will investigate the proposal of Grice, which has been called intentionalism. According to Grice, an utterer forms a communicative intention, performs a speech act to achieve the intention, and the speech act succeeds when the addressee recognizes the intention. The result is a change in common ground. With intentionalism, the notion of cognitive state becomes central to pragmatic theory. We will investigate Gricean intentionalism, including formalizations such as Stalnaker's, empirical evidence from cognitive science, and alternate pragmatic theories. In the second part of the course, we will then examine specific issues in pragmatics in light of the foundational theories we have discussed, including information structure, specific linguistic issues such as discourse particles, intonation, and politeness, and neuro-divergent communication. We will pay attention to empirical evidence throughout the course.
You can enroll for 0-3 credits, and further topics of interest may be included.
List of papers: https://protect.checkpoint.com
