ENG302: Nonliteral Meaning (Special Topics in Lit. & Lang.) (section 001, class number 70785, 3 credit hours, meeting time TTH 11-12:15, classroom K310)

Description: It turns out that we use words and even whole sentences regularly in ways other than the ones that correspond to their most literal meanings. We wouldn’t be fluent in our language–never mind poetic!– if we weren’t able to both use and interpret nonliteral meanings. In fact, we are (at least unconsciously) aware of different recurring patterns of connections between literal and nonliteral word meanings. This course will be an introduction to different kinds of meaning in language, with an emphasis on word meaning and with a particular focus on nonliteral word meanings of various types. We’ll start by covering some basic aspects of literal meaning and connections between word meanings, and then we’ll analyze a broad variety of nonliteral meanings, including not only the use of metaphors and similes but also phenomena like metonymy, synecdoche, connotation, sarcasm, hyperbole, fixed expressions, and grammaticalization of meaning. We’ll examine the issue of how context affects both the availability of nonliteral interpretations and our need or desire to employ nonliteral language, and we’ll consider whether there is actually a continuum from fully literal to completely figurative meanings. Students can expect to gain significant “hands on” experience with literal vs. nonliteral language interpretation and production in various contexts.

Required Materials: Hudson, Richard (1995). Word Meaning, Routledge. Additional required readings will be made available online, and some short readings may be distributed.

Work, Grading, and Attendance:
Participation (5%), Ungraded Assignments (15%), Quizzes/Graded Assignments (15%) Tests (30%), Final Exam (20%), Project/paper (15%).
All work, other than testing of various types, must be completed BEFORE class time on the day it is due and must submitted on time and in-class except in cases where permission for early or late submission or for an alternative submission method is given in advance. (In rare, well-justified circumstances that make it impossible to contact me beforehand, I may consider requests after a due date.) Similarly, exams must be taken as scheduled unless permission is granted for an alternative. All graded work most be completed to pass the course. Graded work (except a group project, if arranged with me in advance) must be done independently.
Assignments, unless otherwise noted, are "ungraded," which means they require an acceptable effort on all parts of the assignment for credit, but assignments with incorrect answers can still get full credit. You may, in fact, be asked sometimes to consider questions about new material to see what you can figure out by looking at this material yourself before we discuss it. If you wish, you are free to work on ungraded assignments in discussion with other students, but each student should still do all parts. On occasion, there may be an unscheduled assignment in class. You can miss one "ungraded" assignment without affecting your overall grade for assignments at all. After that, each missed ungraded assignment will reduce your overall grade for these assignments proportionally. Some
Details about the adopted word analysis and the final project/paper are partially chosen by each student (or group in the case of a team project). General guidelines and options for these requirements will be discussed during the semester, and students are encouraged to come see me individually with their own more specific questions.
Regular participation in class is expected. Frequent unexcused absences and/or a persistant lack of preparation may result in a reduction in the participation grade, up to the full 5%, depending on my assessment of the circumstances.


Of course, all your work for this course is subject to the JMU Honor Code. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or about other aspects of the honor code,see me for clarification.

Other Course Policies:
Please read the full course policies page for additional details about grading, attendance, and other issues.

Daily Schedule: (Note that this is a tentative schedule of what will be discussed in each class period. Changes are possible. Check for revisions.) You should have readings done before the first class date on which they will be discussed.

" Oh, that's just semantics."

"All our work, our whole life is a matter of semantics, because words are the tools with which we work, the material out of which laws are made, out of which the Constitution was written. Everything depends on our understanding of them." Felix Frankfurter

" Since the universe never repeats itself exactly, every time we speak we metaphorize. . . . Speakers not only share the same code but also share the ability to see the same resemblances between what their code already designates and what they would like it to designate, and so to make the old forms reach out to new meanings. This is how language breaks free of its rigidity."Dwight Bolinger

" Most people are not too surprised to discover that emotional concepts like love and anger are understood metaphorically. What is more interesting, and I think more exciting, is the realization that many of our most basic concepts ... are normally comprehended via metaphor." George Lakoff

"...the commonsense dichotomy between "literal" and "figurative" is a psychological illusion." Mark Turner

Look here regularly for assignments:

• Due 9/1/16 (ungraded)
• Due 9/6/16 (ungraded)
• Due 9/13/16 (ungraded)
• Due 9/20/16 (ungraded)
• Assignment 5, in class 9/20/16, practice with sense and reference (ungraded)
• Due 9/27/16 (ungraded)
• Due 10/6/16 (ungraded)
• Assignment 8, in class, practice with speech acts and the cooperative principle(ungraded)
• Due 10/18/16 (ungraded)
• Due 10/27/16 (ungraded)
• Assignment 11, in class 11/1/16, on creative reworking of cognitive metaphor
• Due 11/8/16 (ungraded)
• Due 11/10/16 (ungraded)
• Due 11/15/16 (ungraded)
• Submit a more exact project/paper topic with a description of how you your are beginning your work. Due 11/17/16 (ungraded)

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