Phil 501: Compositional degree semantics

USC graduate seminar (co-taught with Roumyana Pancheva) (Fall 2021) This course analyzes the language that people use to describe quantities. We take the perspective of compositional formal semantics, and keep a close eye on the details of cross-linguistic universality and variation. In the first part of the course, we establish the core assumptions and accomplishments of contemporary degree semantics as developed primarily to account for modification of adjectives (very tall, more intelligent, best). Here, we discuss some topics of broad recent interest in linguistics and philosophy such as the absolute-relative distinction (compare completely full with ?completely tall), and look closely at grammatical variation (e.g., languages without adjectives, comparatives without degrees). Next, we examine the successes and challenges of extending the degree-semantic toolkit to related phenomena with nouns (more intelligence, less of a chance) and verbs (jog more, want φ more), and its possible extension to bare number words (seventeen), modified number words (more than five, at least six), and measure phrases (six feet tall, two litres of water). In the final section, we consider some important outstanding formal questions related to degree constructions and, if we have time, we may consider interactions with questions about belief and evidence.