Autor: Anke Himmelreich

The next talk in the semantics colloquium will be by Jan Köpping. Please find an abstract below. Title: De re without movement. Cyclic semantic interpretation Room: IG 4.301 Date: November 7 Time: 4pm - 6pm Abstract: When it comes to the interpretation of certain expressions (e.g. definite descriptions) in intensional environments, one of their readings, namely their de re reading, is derived by lifting the expression in question into a position where it receives this interpretation naturally. E.g. "Peter believes that the president of Germany is on holidays" is (roughly) interpreted as "Peter believes about the president of Germany that he is on holidays." This kind of movement step is found in other areas of semantics theorizing as well, most prominently when it comes to account for the accessibility of discourse referents introduced by such expressions. In order for their discourse referents to end up in the right universe, the expressions are dislocated while their host-DRS is construed; thus, some comparable sort of movement step...

We are happy to announce a talk by Kathryn Barnes. Please find an abstract below. Title: Modals in Malay Room: IG 4.301 Date: October 31 Time: 4pm - 6pm Abstract: Crosslinguistic research into modal systems outside of Europe has revealed systematic variation in how modal force, strength and flavour are grammaticalised in different languages. This talk aims to give an initial analysis of the grammaticalisation of these features in modality in Malay, looking specifically at the necessity modals mesti (must) and perlu (need). The data collected through semantic fieldwork with speakers of Malay found that the modals display previously observed behaviour with regard to flavour; mesti varies between epistemic and root modal flavour, with perlu being restricted to root modality. However, both modals vary between weak and strong necessity readings and their root readings are also gradable, with perlu consistently being stronger than mesti. The use of a degree-based analysis of necessity modals, initially put forward by Portner & Rubinstein (2016), to interpret mesti and...

We are very happy to announce the first talk of this semester’s Syntax Colloquium, which will take place on Monday, October 28, 4 – 6 pm in IG 4.301. Stavros Skopeteas (Universität Göttingen) will talk about „Focus and resumption in Kwa languages“. Abstract: Abstract Focus and Resumption   You are cordially invited!...

We are very happy to announce the first talk of this semester's Phonology Colloquium, which will take place on Wednesday, October 16, 4 – 6 pm in IG 4.301. Frank Kügler will talk about "News on the Annotation of Intonation (DIMA)".   You are cordially invited!...

On July 3rd we celebrated Prof. Caroline Féry's retirement at the end of september and Prof. Frank Kügler's appointment as her successor. It was a wonderful and festive event, and here you can find a collection of short pieces for Caroline written by various friends and colleagues that were presented to her at the event: Tweets 'n Greets for Caroline Féry. Caroline has contributed immensely to the success of the Institute in Frankfurt and we are all very lucky, both professionally and personally, to have been her colleagues, so: thank you, Caroline!...