The Philosophy of Language

by A.P. Martinich (editor)

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 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.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Linguistics, Language, Reference, Academic, Anthologies

599 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

A. P. Martinich is an analytic philosopher at the University of Texas at Austin. His area of interest is the nature and practice of interpretation; history of modern philosophy; the philosophy of language and religion and the history of political thought. He is considered a foremost authority on Thomas Hobbes.

Reviews

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puta incomplete ako sa major kong 'to but it was still a nice experience being able to read this anthology even though we skipped a lot pf articles and wasn't able to discuss more than half of it. Di ko pa rin gets si Tarski tbh.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Academic textbook covering the major debates on philosophy of language. Heady stuff, although the occasional authors capable of sparkling prose (Quine for example) stand out from the rest.

[Lulu]

Language anthology

[Lean English]

yeah

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is one must-have to read for you who want to know about philosophy of language and its relation with analytic.

[Lawrence Udo]

I want to read more

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology of Language very much of the analytic tradition. Martinich choses the readings very carefully giving a good overview of the main problems of and also the debates within philosophy of language. It is of course high time that the analytic approach on these matters was reconciled with not only continental philosophers such as Barthes, Ricoeur and Derrida but also theorists of semiotics such as Saussure, Peirce and Eco. A lot has been done to achieve this in recent years but there is still a great deal of snobbery within academic institutions which leaves anglo-american philosophy in an unfashionable and ineffectual position and is undoubtedly responsible for the eventual disinterest in the philosophy of language we see today.

But as an introduction to the analytic side of the philosophy of language this book is perfect.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

(5th Edition) Interesting, easily accessible and well structured to my course - excellent introductory textbook to read alongside my Philosophy of Language module during my final year as an undergraduate student. The texts have helped me no end in my studies.

[A.rhubarb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. It is compilation of papers written by some of the best theorists on the philosophy of language. Something for everyone.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introductory volume ideal for use in an undergraduate class in the analytic approach to philosophy of language. This edition is likely out of date; more recent ones are available.