Final assignment (due 9 May 2023)

This is a 2000-word assignment due on 9 May 2023, 11:55pm, worth 50% of your final grade

Write a 2000-word answer to one of the following:

(a) a problem of your own choosing, or

(b) a problem developed from one or more puzzles from puzzles 1-8

Whether you choose (a) or (b), you are *required* to discuss your choice of problem with me before submitting this assignment—I need to have approved it before you can start working on it. Please make sure you don't miss your week 12 individual appointment to discuss your final assignment.

The puzzles assignment and the final assignment need to be independent, different pieces of work in all cases.

If you decide to go for (b) and submit a certain puzzle for the puzzle assignment, and then you also develop that same puzzle in your final assignment, the two submissions still need to be substantially different. That is, while you can use your findings from that puzzle as the basis for your final assignment, there need to be new insights in the final assignment. An ideal submission of this type picks up where the puzzle finished off and goes beyond the question(s) asked in the relevant puzzle(s): for example, it tries out other solutions, it provides a new argument to a solution already given, or it provides interesting, related (though sufficiently different) data from another language and explores whether certain solutions work for it or not.

You can also go for (b) and submit as your final assignment a development of one or more puzzles that you didn’t turn in for the puzzle assignment. In that case, answer the question(s) asked in the relevant puzzle(s) and then go beyond them if necessary in a similar way as before.

Your submission should focus on trying to solve a problem, the way we’ve done throughout the term, not on researching your topic and providing other people’s insights into it, and not on providing your comments on other people’s insights into it.

It is fine not to arrive at a satisfactory answer as long as you try out different solutions. This means providing these solutions explicitly, explaining what they do, and showing why they are wrong. Providing a solution explicitly will often involve using set theory to express meanings, as well as compositional rules, as we’ve done in class. Showing why they are wrong will often involve arguing that the truth-conditions/meanings they give rise to are not the correct ones for the natural language expression you are investigating.

If you use references in your work, cite them appropriately and provide a bibliography at the end. If these references are different from the ones I have provided, please consult with me before you read them (this can save you a lot of time!).

Deadline

The deadline is Tuesday 9 May 2023, 11.55pm.

Submission guidelines

You must type your assignment.

You must submit your assignment as a .pdf file.

Attach a School-provided cover sheet to your work. This coversheet needs to be added to your work so that together the cover sheet and your work form one and only one file. The same applies to disability statements, if any.

Use your student number to name your file. Do not include your name anywhere on your assignment, just your student number on the cover sheet.

Extensions and extenuating circumstances

Extensions to the deadline must be requested following the procedure set out for Extenuating Circumstances in the Undergraduate Student Handbook, available from the School's QMPlus landing page.

Plagiarism

You are reminded that plagiarism, that is, using someone else’s words or ideas without attributing them to that person (including another student or yourself), is a serious examination offence. It can result in your expulsion from the College. By handing in this coursework you acknowledge that it represents your own, unaided work and that you have appropriately acknowledged all sources. For more information, check the Undergraduate Student Handbook, available on the School's QMPlus landing page.

Turnitin originality report

Upon submitting your assignment, you will be able to see a similarity index and an originality report. This is to help you cite properly and avoid plagiarism. The report must be considered in light of these remarks, otherwise it will not be useful to you.

If you are unhappy with your essay, you can re-submit it as many times as you want until the due date and time. You should be aware that, for re-submissions, there might be a 24 hour delay on generating the similarity index and originality report.