Synopses & Reviews
What is meaning? What is the relationship between language and the world? How is linguistic communication possible? This comprehensive anthology contains thirty-seven of the most important articles in the philosophy of language, including both classic articles by such philosophers as Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, J.L. Austin, W.V. Quine, and P.F. Strawson and recent work by Saul Kripke, David Kaplan, Donald Davidson, David Lewis, John Searle, and Noam Chomsky. The Second Edition includes six new selections by Russell, Searle, H.P. Grice, Robert Stalnaker, Hilary Putnam, and Chomsky.
Clearly structured in a way that both students and teachers will find appealing, the new edition is divided into seven sections that cover all of the central issues in the philosophy of language: Truth and Meaning, Speech Acts, Reference and Descriptions, Names and Demonstratives, Propositional Attitudes, Metaphor, and The Nature of Language. The articles included represent a range of different approaches to the philosophy of language and many build upon or discuss previous articles. Expanded introductions to each section provide the background necessary for understanding the philosophical issues and the connections between the articles. A bibliography of suggested further reading is included at the end of each section. Reorganized and consolidated for easier accessibility, and with new material throughout, The Philosophy of Language, Second Edition, is an essential text for courses in the philosophy of language, linguistic studies, semantics, and rhetoric.
Review
Praise for the previous edition:
"Quite simply, the best anthology in philosophy of language now available."--Mark Bernstein, University of Texas at San Antonio
Synopsis
What is meaning? How is linguistic communication possible? What is the nature of language? What is the relationship between language and the world? How do metaphors work?
The Philosophy of Language, considered the essential text in its field, is an excellent introduction to such fundamental questions. This revised edition collects forty-one of the most important articles in the field, making it the most up-to-date and comprehensive volume on the subject. The fourth edition features several new articles including influential work by Bertrand Russell, John R. Searle, John Perry, Ruth Garrett Millikan, and John Stuart Mill. Other selections include classic articles by such distinguished philosophers as Gottlob Frege, P. F. Strawson, J. L. Austin, Hilary Putnam, and David Kaplan.
The selections represent evolving and varying approaches to the philosophy of language, with many articles building upon earlier ones or critically discussing them. Eight sections cover the central issues: Truth and Meaning; Speech Acts; Reference and Descriptions; Names and Demonstratives; Propositional Attitudes; Metaphor; Interpretation and Translation; and The Nature of Language. The revised general introduction and introductions to each section give students background to the issues and explain the connections between them. A list of suggested further reading follows each section.
Synopsis
What is meaning? How is linguistic communication possible? What is the nature of language? What is the relationship between language and the world? How do metaphors work? The Philosophy of Language, considered the essential text in its field, is an excellent introduction to such fundamental questions. This revised edition collects forty-one of the most important articles in the field, making it the most up-to-date and comprehensive volume on the subject. The fourth edition features several new articles including influential work by Bertrand Russell, John R. Searle, John Perry, Ruth Garrett Millikan, and John Stuart Mill. Other selections include classic articles by such distinguished philosophers as Gottlob Frege, P. F. Strawson, J. L. Austin, Hilary Putnam, and David Kaplan.
The selections represent evolving and varying approaches to the philosophy of language, with many articles building upon earlier ones or critically discussing them. Eight sections cover the central issues: Truth and Meaning; Speech Acts; Reference and Descriptions; Names and Demonstratives; Propositional Attitudes; Metaphor; Interpretation and Translation; and The Nature of Language. The revised general introduction and introductions to each section give students background to the issues and explain the connections between them. A list of suggested further reading follows each section.
Table of Contents
A "**" indicates readings that are new to the fourth edition.