Teaching

Despite the assumed theoretical primacy of declarative sentences, questions have frequently played a central role in the literature spanning syntax, semantics, and pragmatics - informing issues ranging from structure-building and combinatorics, to speech acts and their effect on the common ground. In this vein, we'll be asking: what kinds of things are questions, how are they built, and what can they do? Specific topics we'll cover include: question composition and pied-piping, embedded questions and question-embedding predicates, the dynamic pragmatics of questions qua illocutionary acts, and the external syntax of interrogative clauses.

This seminar will provide a venue for discussing various mechanisms for scope-taking and projection, taking as our starting point continuations - a perspective on scope-taking developed by Chris Barker and Chung-chieh Shan. We will attempt to develop a solid working knowledge of the relevant mechanics, as well as arrive at a comprehensive empirical assessment of their advantages and drawbacks in selected areas of application. These will include quantifier scope, variable binding, cross-over, and presupposition projection, paying particular attention to linearity effects which continuations are designed to handle in a principled manner.

• Introduction to dynamic semantics

• Introduction to semantics
  • Co-taught with Gillian Ramchand
• Topics in the syntax of ellipsis
  • Co-taught with Andrew Murphy
• Ellipsis, binding, and logical form
  • Co-taught with Yasu Sudo.