Reading Philosophy of Language: Selected Texts with Interactive Commentary

Designed for readers new to the subject, Reading Philosophy of Language presents important writings by leading figures in the field, such as Austin, Chomsky, Davidson, Dummett, and Searle. Three texts are presented on each of six key topics: reference and meaning; speech and action; meaning and truth; knowledge of language; meaning and compositionality; and non–literal meaning. Extensive editorial material guides readers through these texts. The editors provide an introduction to the text as a whole, outlining the subject’s principal concerns, and explaining how these give rise to the particular questions broached in each chapter. Chapter introductions then locate each piece in context and provide background on relevant terminology and theories; interactive commentaries help readers to engage with the texts, and acquaint them with alternative positions that might be taken on key issues.

Sources and Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Reference and Meaning: . Introduction. Introduction to Locke. John Locke, ‘Of Words’ (extracts from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding ). Commentary on Locke. Introduction to Mill. J.S. Mill, ‘On Names’ (extracts from System of Logic ). Commentary on Mill. Introduction to Frege. Gottlob Frege ‘On Sense and Reference’ (extract). Commentary on Frege. Conclusion. 2. Speech and Action: . Introduction. Introduction to Austin. J.L. Austin, ‘Performative Utterances’. Commentary on Austin. Introduction to Alston. William P. Alston, ‘Meaning and Use’. Commentary on Alston. Introduction to Searle. John R. Searle, ‘Meaning’ (extracts from Speech Acts ). Commentary on Searle. Conclusion. 3. Meaning and Truth: . Introduction. Introduction to Davidson. Donald Davidson, ‘Radical Interpretation’. Commentary on Davidson. Introduction to Soames. Scott Soames, ‘Semantics and Semantic Competence’ (extract). Commentary on Soames. Introduction to Wright. Crispin Wright, ‘Theories of Meaning and Speakers’ Knowledge’ (extract). Commentary on Wright. Conclusion. Appendix: Tarski’s Truth–theoretic Machinery. 4. Knowledge of Language: . Introduction. Introduction to Chomsky. Noam Chomsky, ‘Knowledge of Language as a Focus of Inquiry’ (extracts from Knowledge of Language ). Commentary on Chomsky. Introduction to Dummett. Michael Dummett, ‘What do I know when I know a language?’. Commentary on Dummett. Introduction to Campbell. John Campbell, ‘Knowledge and Understanding’. Commentary on Campbell. Conclusion. 5. Meaning and Compositionality: . Introduction. Introduction to Horwich. Paul Horwich, ‘The Composition of Meanings’ (extracts from Meaning ). Commentary on Horwich. Introduction to Higginbotham. James Higginbotham, ‘A Perspective on Truth and Meaning’ (extracts). Commentary on Higginbotham. Introduction to Pietroski. Paul Pietroski, ‘The Undeflated Domain of Semantics’. Commentary on Pietroski. Conclusion. 6. Non–literal Meaning: . Introduction. Introduction to Bergmann. Merrie Bergmann, ‘Metaphorical Assertions’. Commentary on Bergmann. Introduction to Davies. Martin Davies, ‘Idiom and Metaphor’. Commentary on Davies. Introduction to Bach. Kent Bach, ‘Speaking Loosely: Sentence Non–Literality’. Commentary on Bach. Conclusion. Further Reading. Index

Jennifer Hornsby is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London. Reading Philosophy: Selected Texts with a Method for Beginners (co–edited with Samuel Guttenplan and Christopher Janaway, Blackwell, 2003) is among her recent publications. Guy Longworth is Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.

"To get stuck in to this book is to taste the sort of intense learning experience that you might get if the editors were giving you personal tutorials. Those who teach philosophy of language to University undergraduates will regard Reading Philosophy of Language as a valuable addition to their armoury." Dr Andrew Woodfield, University of Bristol <!––end––> "This is an outstanding text, with a perfect blend of well–selected original works and excellent, interleaved commentary. I will immediately adopt it for my undergraduate Philosophy of Language course." David Shier, Washington State University