Philosophy of Language The Big Questions [Paperback]

This anthology brings together a diversity of readings in the philosophy of language from the ancient Greeks to contemporary analytic, feminist, and multicultural perspectives. The emphasis is on issues that have a direct bearing on concerns about knowledge, reality, meaning, and understanding. A general introduction and introductions to each group of readings identify both the continuities and differences in the way big questions in philosophy of language have been addressed by philosophers of different historical periods, institutional affiliations, races, and genders.General Introduction.

Part I: Language: What is it?:.

1. Language as the Weaving Together of Forms: Plato.

2. The Origins of Language: Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

3. On Words: John Locke.

4. On the Scientific Justification of a Conceptual Notation: Gottlob Frege.

5. The Existential Matrix of Inquiry: John Dewey.

6. Picturing Reality: Ludwig Wittgenstein.

7. Subjectivity in Language: Emile Benveniste.

8. Private Language, Public Languages: Jerry Fodor.

9. The Mark of Gender: Monnique Wittig.

Part II: Meaning: How do Words get their Sense?:.

10. On Sense and Reference: Gottlob Frege.

11. The Principle of Verifiability: A.J. Ayer.

12. Meaning as Use: Ludwig Wittgenstein.

13. Biosemantics: Ruth Millikan.

14. How can Language be Sexist?: Merrill and Jaakko Hintikka.

Part III: Speaking: What is it to Say Something:.

15. Meaning: H.P. Grice.

16. Performative Utterances: John Austin.

17. Verbal Interaction: V.N. Volosinov.

18. Telling as Letting Know: Arindam Chakrabati.<lãÜ