Universität Wien

160175 SE Theoretical and empirical perspectives on negation and polarity (2022S)

8.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 16 - Musikwissenschaft und Sprachwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work
REMOTE
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 03.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 10.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 17.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 24.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 31.03. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 07.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 28.04. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 05.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 12.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 19.05. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 02.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 09.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 23.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital
  • Thursday 30.06. 10:45 - 12:15 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

As a universal component of human natural language and as phenomenon situated at the interface of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, negation has been extensively studied within theoretical and empirical (psycho- and neuro-)linguistics. In addition, negation and negation-related phenomena have been key areas of inquiry in logic, psychology of reasoning, and cognitive science.
In this seminar, we will approach the topic from an interdisciplinary perspective: On the one hand, we will read theoretical linguistic works on negation and negation-related phenomena such as (negative and positive) polarity items, negative concord, nonveridical contexts, and expletive negation. On the other hand, we will discuss psycho- and neurolinguistic studies on the processing, acquisition, and representation of the aforementioned phenomena in the human mind. The aim of this course is to familiarize students with these topics in an easily accessible manner, alongside which we will critically reflect on the interrelations between the insight contributed from different disciplines and on the relation between theoretical and empirical linguistics more broadly. Students will train their skills through regular reading tasks, active participation in our discussions, obligatory oral presentations, and a written term paper on a topic of the seminar.

Assessment and permitted materials

Students' progress will be evaluated based on three measures:
- an in-class presentation on a paper/topic of the seminar.
- active participation including regular reading assignments.
- a ~3.000 word term paper on a topic of the seminar. The term paper can be submitted in either German or English.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

No prior knowledge is required, although some familiarity with linguistic theory and psycholinguistic methods may be helpful. Solid knowledge of English is necessary.

Regular presence in the seminar (at most two missing sessions are tolerated) is obligatory.
Students' grade will be calculated as such:
1. Oral presentation: 35% of the final grade
2. Active participation: 20% of the final grade
3. Written term paper: 45% of the final grade

Examination topics

Reading list

Students will read various original papers from the literature on negation and negation-related phenomena (which will be provided via moodle). General introductory readings can be found in the Oxford Handbook of Negation, particularly in the following chapters:
- Horn, L. R. (2020). Negation and Opposition: Contradiction and contrariety in logic and language. In Déprez, V., & Espinal, M. T. (Eds.). (2020). The Oxford handbook of negation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
- de Clerq, K. (2020). Types of negation. In Déprez, V., & Espinal, M. T. (Eds.). (2020). The Oxford handbook of negation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
- Kaup, B., and Dudschig, C. (2020). Understanding negation: issues in the processing of negation. In Déprez, V., & Espinal, M. T. (Eds.). (2020). The Oxford handbook of negation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Association in the course directory

MA1-M3

Last modified: Th 11.05.2023 11:27