Whereas semantics deals with the potential meaning carried by linguistic expressions, pragmatics is interested in the actually communicated meaning when linguistic expressions are used in real-world circumstances (who is saying/signing what to whom when and where). A number of theories have been proposed for how this works, which grant variable importance to the speaker's intentions and the context of utterance. This course reviews the main theories in this area, starting with Grice's and Austin's foundational theories about implicature and speech acts, respectively. Recent developments in Neo-Gricean pragmatics and Relevance Theory are also covered, as are politeness theories, the interface of pragmatics with prosody, and nonverbal communication.

• Level: Previous knowledge of semantics/syntax desirable but not required.
• Requirements: Each class has 1 textbook chapter as assigned reading.
• Materials: Clark, Billy (2022) Pragmatics: The Basics. London: Routledge (e-book available via course link available from teacher)

How do people signal different (social, ethnic, gender) aspects of their identity through language? How does a person's position in social hierarchy affect the way(s) they speak and the kinds of language(s) they have access to? And how do language users combine linguistic with other semiotic resources (visual, graphic) to create meaning? In this course, we tackle language as a social phenomenon, produced by the (linguistic) actions of individuals but also constraining what those actions can be and how they are interpreted. Topics include: languages as products of ideology; resources & repertoires; language variation; multimodality & social media; code mixing; style & Identity; language attitudes; linguistic landscapes; and language flows.

• Level: No previous knowledge required.
• Requirements: Each class has 1 textbook chapter as assigned reading; no regular homework; students are encouraged to bring their own examples illustrating textbook concepts to class (optional).
• Materials: Jones, R. H., & Themistocleous, C. (2022). Introducing Language and Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (e-book available via course link available from teacher)

Syntax is the study of structure of sentences. In this course, students are first introduced to the important terms and concepts within the study of syntax. Then, students learn how to identify constituents and hierarchical structure. Next, they are introduced to the building blocks of syntax, and the principles by which they combine. In the second week of the course, we will build up the sentence from bottom to top, starting with the structure of the verb and its arguments, followed by the structure for tense and agreement, and finally, question formation and embedding.

• Level: No previous knowledge is required.
• Requirements: None.
• Materials: Adger, D. (2003). Core Syntax. A Minimalist Approach. Oxford University Press.

The meanings of the morphological tense, aspect and mood categories of the Greek verb are among the most debated and challenging topics in Greek linguistics. In this course we will discuss the main issues, including the prehistory of the verbal system, the use of tense forms to refer to the 'wrong' temporal domain, and the question of whether there is a meaningful 'past potential' category. We will also zoom out and consider the wider question whether our current approach to the relationship between form and meaning in Greek grammar provides an adequate understanding of the underlying cognitive reality of the language user. 

• Level: Working knowledge of ancient Greek (Homeric, Classical and/or Koine) is required.
• Requirements: Two readings, to be read in advance:
  1. Evert van Emde Boas et al., The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek (Cambridge University Press) pages 404–446;
  2. Jan Nuyts, Modality in Mind (Cambridge University Press), pages 7–100 (the rest of the book is also recommended).
• Materials: Students are expected to find the required readings in their own libraries or online.