Irene Heim, a distinguished linguist and professor emerita at MIT’s Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, has been named a co-recipient of the 2024 Rolf Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy. She shares this honor with Hans Kamp, a professor of formal logic and philosophy of language at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Both are recognized for their independent contributions to the early development of dynamic semantics for natural language.
The Rolf Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy, often likened to a Nobel Prize in philosophy, is awarded every three years by the Schock Foundation to prominent international figures nominated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The award ceremony and a symposium will be held at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm on November 11 and 12. MIT will also host a separate event on campus to celebrate Heim’s achievement on December 7.
A press release from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences elaborates on the research for which Heim and Kamp were honored: Natural languages heavily rely on context; the interpretation of a sentence often depends on the situation and prior discourse. In the mid-1970s, certain constructions posed a significant challenge to formal semantic theory. Around 1980, Kamp and Heim independently developed similar solutions, introducing a new level of representation between linguistic expression and its worldly interpretation. This new level redefined meaning, focusing on how information is updated rather than merely describing world conditions. Their theories provided adequate interpretations for previously problematic constructions.
This marks the first time the prize has been awarded for work in linguistics. Heim’s contributions have profoundly impacted three major subfields: syntax (the study of linguistic mental representation), semantics (the study of logical properties), and pragmatics (the study of conditions for using linguistic expressions in conversation). She has published extensively on the semantics and syntax of language.
Reflecting on her career, Heim expressed amazement at the progress in the field over the past 50 years, noting that early contributions now seem simple or even confused. However, these ideas have been influential because they inspired others to explore more sophisticated alternatives.
Heim, a leader in syntax and semantics, was born in Germany in 1954. She studied at the University of Konstanz and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, earning a master’s degree in philosophy with minors in linguistics and mathematics. She later obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Before joining MIT in 1989, she taught at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Danny Fox, head of the linguistics section and Anshen-Chomsky Professor of Language and Thought, expressed pride in being Heim’s student. He praised her foundational work and her influence in teaching generations of researchers to rethink established ideas, analyze theoretical propositions meticulously, and consider when it might be appropriate to take significant risks.
