Lecture 1
From Assignments to Teams
History and precursors, an introduction to team semantics across propositional, first-order, and modal settings, plus closure properties, dependencies, axioms, and information states.
Course Description
This course introduces team semantics, a family of logical frameworks in which formulas are evaluated with respect to sets of assignments rather than single assignments. The course approaches the topic through its linguistic and philosophical applications.
Along the way, we will study how team-based methods illuminate free choice and disjunction, questions, indefinites, and dependence, while also connecting the framework to broader topics such as truth, modality, negation, and compositionality.
The course combines formal development with conceptual discussion and is designed to give participants a solid foundation for engaging with current research at the intersection of logic, language, and philosophy.
Audience & Prerequisites
The course is aimed at graduate students and advanced undergraduates in linguistics, philosophy, logic, and related fields. It should also appeal to researchers in adjacent areas, especially theoretical computer science.
Familiarity with first-order logic is recommended. Prior coursework or independent interest in formal semantics, philosophical logic, or mathematical logic is helpful.
Contact
Aleksi Anttila aleksi.ilari.anttila@gmail.com
Marco Degano m.degano@uva.nl
Lecture 2
Free Choice and Disjunction
Free choice and disjunction, the non-empty atom, bilateralist perspectives, and several current research avenues.
Lecture 3
Questions
Questions in language and logic, the basics of inquisitive semantics and inquisitive logic, and a survey of current avenues.
Lecture 4
Indefinites and Dependence
Indefinites in language and logic, different kinds of indefinite expressions, and the role of dependence atoms in their analysis.
Lecture 5
Truth, Modality, Negation, and Compositionality
A concluding session on the philosophical applications of team semantics, with a focus on truth, modality, negation, and compositionality.