Same and different are different

Same and Different are Different:an Investigation into the Meaning of "Same" and "Different" A guest lecture by Line Mikkelsen, UC Berkeley, and Daniel Hardt, ITM, CBS.

Friday, August 16, 2013 - 10:00 to 11:00

The adjectives "same" and "different", although seemingly quite simple, are in fact rather unusual in that they induce a comparison between two different expressions. This special feature of "same" and "different" has given rise to an extensive theoretical literature which attempts to characterize the meaning of this comparison, and also to show how grammatical processes construct this meaning. In this talk, we suggest that there is a fundamental point that has been missed in the theoretical literature, namely, that "same" and "different" compare different types of entities: "different" compares individuals, while "same" compares eventualities. We show that this basic difference gives rise to systematic differences in the distribution of these two words.

While the talk will involve technical matters from theories of syntax, semantics and discourse, we will present the material in a way that doesn't presuppose familiarity with these theories -- if you have an interest in language, you are very welcome to attend.

Line Mikkelsen is Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at UC, Berkeley and Daniel Hardt is Associate Professor in the Department of IT Management at CBS.

Participation is free, everybody is welcome.

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