CJJ45 Topics in semantics

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Jakob Majdič, MA (lecturer)
Mgr. Marcin Wągiel, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Marcin Wągiel, Ph.D.
Department of Czech Language – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Bc. Silvie Hulewicz, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of Czech Language – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 L41, except Mon 20. 4. to Fri 24. 4.
Prerequisites
TYP_STUDIA(N)
The course is taught in English. The students should know the language well enough to be able to follow a talk and read a textbook as well as linguistic articles in English. The final exam is also in English. I am also presupposing the knowledge of basic grammar terminology. A prior course in semantics is an advantage, but is not required.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 11/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 11 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Abstract

This course engages with the semantic relationship between expressions of reality, possibility and time and with key questions about how human natural language cognition represents those domains. During the first few sessions, students will gather and revisit basic formal semantic skills necessary to follow discussions on natural language semantic issues. We will then proceed to an introduction to modal semantics and a brief intro to temporal semantics. In the third part of the class we will jointly investigate the empirical landscape of modal-temporal interactions with a special focus on morphological markings yielding a `distance from reality’ interpretation (e.g. compare the `fake tense’ marking in `If Jim is here now,…’ vs. `If Jim *were* here now, …’ vs. `If Jim *would have been* here now, …’). We will read recent articles on the topic and work through them in in-class sessions in which the discussion and comparison of our own native speaker intuitions will play a central role.

Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student:
  •  has an understanding of the relation between possibility and time and the reasoning mechanisms in those domains
  • is able to form semantic hypotheses based on native speaker intuitions
  • understands the core principles of compositional semantics
  •  understands how modal meanings are modelled in formal semantics
  • is able to approach advanced formal semantic literature

Key topics
  • 1. Outlook on the puzzles of modal and temporal interactions
  • 2. Introduction to basic principles of compositional formal semantics
  • 3. Introduction to modal and temporal semantics
  • 4. Modal auxiliaries and their temporal interpretation
  • 5. Distance from reality marking and `fake tense'
Study resources and literature
  • CONDORAVDI, Cleo. Temporal interpretation of modals: Modals for the present and the past. The construction of meaning. CSLI Publications, 2002. info
  • COPPOCK, Elisabeth and Lucas CHAMPOLLION. Invitation to formal semantics. 2025. info
  • FĂLĂUȘ, Anamaria and Brenda LACA. Modal–Temporal Interactions. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2021. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Semantics. info
  • VON FINTEL, Kai and Sabine IATRIDOU. Prolegomena to a theory of X-marking. LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY. SPRINGER, 2023. ISSN 0165-0157. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-023-09390-5. URL info
  • VON FINTEL, Kai and Irene HEIM. Intensional Semantics. 2021. info
  • RULLMANN, Hotze and Lisa MATTHEWSON. TOWARDS A THEORY OF MODAL-TEMPORAL INTERACTION. LANGUAGE. WASHINGTON: LINGUISTIC SOC AMER, 2018, vol. 94, No 2, p. 281-331. ISSN 0097-8507. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.2018.0018. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
The methods used include lecture, class discussion; reading assigned materials.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
Requirements for the successful completion of the course: 1) systematic and active attendance, 2) submitting a short paper (in English) on a selected topic related to the phenomena discussed in the class, 3) at least 2/3 answers right at the final test. The final test is in English just like the entire course.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2027.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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