Learning outcomes

This course is intended to introduce the participants to the core properties of the semiotic processes that characterize human language as well as other cognitive systems, by increasing their awareness of the cognitive processes responsible for the production of meaning at sentence- and at text-level. The ability to deal with distinct layers of meaning in the analysis and production of (linguistic) texts constitute an essential ingredient of the professional profile of experts in language and communication. Foreseen results: - An adequate knowledge of (i) the relationship between semiotic and cognitive processes; (ii) the notions of language/mind; (iii) some formal analyses of language use in communication/discourse contexts, based on neo-Gricean and post-Gricean theories of 'implicated' meaning. - The ability to analyze and master the linguistic, textual and cultural processes that represent the foundation of meaning and the interpretation of signs.