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Semantics/Pragmatics: Research



We are interested in a range of topics relating to meaning, including pragmatic and semantic theory, the pragmatics-semantics interface, information structure, intonational meaning, game-theoretical approaches to pragmatics and their empirical verification, focus, modality, reference, anaphora, and conditionals. We use a variety of methodologies including:
  • experimental pragmatics and semantics
  • formal semantics and pragmatics, logic, philosophy of language
  • computational methods for extracting semantic information from text
  • cross-linguistic comparison

Faculty Research Interests

Brady Clark

My research on meaning has concentrated mostly on information structure, particularly focus and focus sensitive expressions, where the interpretation of focus sensitive expressions (e.g., exclusives such as"only" and adverbs of quantification such as "always") is dependent on the placement of focus, and has yielded the important discovery that cross-linguistically focus sensitive expressions are divided into at least three classes. My other current research in the area of natural language meaning includes the application of game-theoretic methods to problems in semantics and pragmatics, particularly implicature and focus interpretation.

Stefan Kaufmann

My main research interests lie in the area of semantics, pragmatics, and computational linguistics. Specific topic areas include the meaning and use of conditional sentences and modal expressions, temporal connectives, free-choice items and discourse particles across languages; game-theoretic approaches to linguistic communication; and using corpora and machine-learning techniques in semantic analysis. The overarching goals are (i) to integrate and contribute to methodological advances and empirical findings in neighboring disciplines; (ii) to deepen our understanding of the interactions between different semantic dimensions, such as modality and temporality; and (iii) to enhance the empirical base of semantic and pragmatic theory through cross-linguistic comparisons and experimental studies.

Janet Pierrehumbert

My primary research area is laboratory phonology, an interdisciplinary approach to language sound structure that brings together experiments, computer modeling, and theoretical analysis. I have special interests in prosody and intonation, and in how people perceive, acquire, and use lexical structures. These topics engage semantics and pragmatics through focus and information structure, implicature, and lexical semantics. I co-supervise many experimental semantics projects, as such projects often involve the creation of speech stimuli or the analysis of recordings.

Gregory Ward

My research interests situate themselves along the pragmatics-semantics frontier: identifying and distinguishing between those aspects of meaning that are a function of the linguistic system (semantics) and those that are a function of the use of that system in context (pragmatics). I am the faculty advisor to the Truth Conditional Project, an empirical investigation of the impact that various types of conversational implicature have on the assignment of truth conditions. My other research interests include pragmatic theory, information structure (especially word order variation), intonational meaning, and reference.