Assignments

For 1 December:

Finish reading chapter 8 in the textbook. Come to class prepared to discuss.

Complete writing assignment #5 by 11:59pm on 1 Dec.:

Imagine a Thanksgiving dinner. One guest, (A), brings up a controversial topic, making other guests uncomfortable. How might another guest, (B), make use of Grice’s maxims of conversation to indirectly get the message across to (A) that their contribution is not welcome?

Give an example of what (B) might say, and explain which of Grice’s maxims they are flouting.

Don’t forget, there will be no class next week (24 November). Have a happy Thanksgiving!

For 3 November…

Read sections 7.1 through 7.4 in chapter 7 (pp.119–126) by the start of class.

Submit Writing Assignment #4 by 11:59pm:

Write down five pairs of words: 1. simple antonyms, 2. gradable antonyms, 3. reverses, 4. taxonomic sisters, and 5. a hyperonym and a hyponym. Do not use pairs that are included in the slides or in the textbook. For each pair, provide at least one type of linguistic evidence (e.g. example sentences) that supports your decision, and explain the relevance of the evidence.

An example for one of these word pairs is provided below.

Simple Antonyms
on and off

When simple antonyms are used in an otherwise identical pair of sentences, the sentences will be contradictory: one must be true, and the other false.

a. The light is on.
b. The light is off.

These sentences are contradictory: the light must be either on or off. It cannot be both, and it cannot be neither. Therefore, on and off are simple antonyms.

Due 27 October

Finish reading chapter 6.

Do the next writing assignment:

Identify the meaning relations for the five pairs of words below (a–e), and provide linguistic evidence that supports your identification.

Possible relations include:

  • simple antonyms
  • gradable antonyms
  • reverses
  • converses
  • taxonomic sisters
  • hyponym–hyperonym
  • meronym
  • homonym
  • synonym

For example, if given the pair tall and short, you would say that they were gradable antonyms, and the evidence might be providing two sentences, “John is tall,” and “John is short,” and saying that, since these two sentences are contrary, that supports tall and short being gradable antonyms.

a. sharp  dull

b. two  too

c. arm  leg

d. silver  metal

e. insert  extract