HW #1 (revised)

• Syntax is (roughly) the study of grammatical structure.
  
• Semantics is (roughly) the study of meaning.
  
• Pragmatics is (roughly) the study of the role of context (interlocutors, time, place, etc.) in understanding a sentence.
  
• An expression is (syntactically/semantically/pragmatically) ambiguous if there is more than one (syntactic/semantic/pragmatic) way to understand it.
  
• An expression is (syntactically/semantically/pragmatically) "incorrect" if there is something (syntactically/semantically/pragmatically) wrong with it.

1. For each sentence below,
   (i) say whether it is syntactically, semantically, and/or pragmatically ambiguous, and
   (ii) give a paraphrase of each way of understanding it:
   
   
   (a) Time flies like an arrow.
   (b) He drew one card.
   (c) Mr. Spock was an illegal alien.
   (d) He crushed the key to my heart.

2. For each sentence below, state whether it is a syntactically, semantically, and/or pragmatically incorrect reply to the complaint that the car is too cold:
   (a) The heater are on.
   (b) The tires are brand new.
   (c) Too many windows eat the stew.

• Adapted from: Allen, James (1995), Natural Language Understanding, second edition (Redwood City, CA: Benjamin/Cummings): 18.

DUE: MONDAY, 24 JANUARY