Philosophy of Language

331 Pages·2018·1.664 MB·

by  Zoltán Gendler Szabó, Richmond H. Thomason

Philosophy of Language
This unique textbook introduces linguists to key issues in the phi-
losophy of language. Accessible to students who have taken only
a single course in linguistics, yet sophisticated enough to be used
at the graduate level, the book provides an overview of the central
issues in philosophy of language, a key topic in educating the next
generation of researchers in semantics and pragmatics. Thoroughly
groundedincontemporarylinguistictheory,thebookfocusesonthe
core foundational and philosophical issues in semantics and prag-
matics, richly illustrated with historical case studies to show how
linguisticquestionsarerelatedtophilosophicalproblemsinareassuch
as metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Students are introduced
in Part I to the issues at the core of semantics, including composi-
tionality, reference and intentionality. Part II looks at pragmatics:
context, conversational update, implicature and speech acts, whilst
PartIIIdiscussesfoundationalquestionsaboutmeaning.Thebook
willencouragefuturecollaborationanddevelopmentbetweenphilos-
ophyoflanguageandlinguistics.
ZOLTÁNGENDLERSZABÓisProfessorofPhilosophyandLinguis-
tics at Yale University. His research focuses on philosophy of lan-
guage. He is an editor of the Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy
seriesandassociateeditoroftheJournalofSemantics.
RICHMONDH.THOMASONisProfessorofPhilosophy,Linguistics,
andComputerScienceattheUniversityofMichigan.Hehaswritten
twologictextbooksandeditedseveralbooksinareasrelatedtologic
andlinguistics.HeisafellowoftheAssociationfortheAdvancement
ofArtificialIntelligenceandamanagingeditorofStudiaLogica.
CAMBRIDGETEXTBOOKSINLINGUISTICS
Generaleditors:P.AUSTIN,J.BRESNAN,B.COMRIE,S.CRAIN,
W.DRESSLER,C.EWEN,R.LASS,D.LIGHTFOOT,K.RICE,
I.ROBERTS,S.ROMAINE,N.V.SMITH
Philosophy of Language
Inthisseries:
R.CANNFormalSemantics
J.LAVERPrinciplesofPhonetics
F.R.PALMERGrammaticalRolesandRelations
M.A.JONESFoundationsofFrenchSyntax
A.RADFORDSyntacticTheoryandtheStructureofEnglish:AMinimalistApproach
R.D.VANVALIN,JR,andR.J.LAPOLLASyntax:Structure,MeaningandFunction
A.DURANTILinguisticAnthropology
A.CRUTTENDENIntonationSecondedition
J.K.CHAMBERSandP.TRUDGILLDialectologySecondedition
C.LYONSDefiniteness
R.KAGEROptimalityTheory
J.A.HOLMAnIntroductiontoPidginsandCreoles
G.G.CORBETTNumber
C.J.EWENandH.VANDERHULSTThePhonologicalStructureofWords
F.R.PALMERMoodandModalitySecondedition
B.J.BLAKECaseSecondedition
E.GUSSMANPhonology:AnalysisandTheory
M.YIPTone
W.CROFTTypologyandUniversalsSecondedition
F.COULMASWritingSystems:AnIntroductiontotheirLinguisticAnalysis
P.J.HOPPERandE.C.TRAUGOTTGrammaticalizationSecondedition
L.WHITESecondLanguageAcquisitionandUniversalGrammar
I.PLAGWord-FormationinEnglish
W.CROFTandA.CRUSECognitiveLinguistics
A.SIEWIERSKAPerson
A.RADFORDMinimalistSyntax:ExploringtheStructureofEnglish
D.BÜRINGBindingTheory
M.BUTTTheoriesofCase
N.HORNSTEIN,J.NUN˜ESandK.GROHMANNUnderstandingMinimalism
B.C.LUSTChildLanguage:AcquisitionandGrowth
G.G.CORBETTAgreement
J.C.L.INGRAMNeurolinguistics:AnIntroductiontoSpokenLanguageProcessingand
itsDisorders
J.CLACKSONIndo-EuropeanLinguistics:AnIntroduction
M.ARIELPragmaticsandGrammar
R.CANN,R.KEMPSONandE.GREGOROMICHELAKISemantics:AnIntroductionto
MeaninginLanguage
Y.MATRASLanguageContact
D.BIBERandS.CONRADRegister,GenreandStyle
L.JEFFRIESandD.MCINTYREStylistics
R.HUDSONAnIntroductiontoWordGrammar
M.L.MURPHYLexicalMeaning
J.M.MEISELFirstandSecondLanguageAcquisition
T.MCENERYandA.HARDIECorpusLinguistics:Method,LanguageandPractice
J.SAKELandD.L.EVERETTLinguisticFieldwork:AStudentGuide
A.SPENCERandA.LUÍSClitics:AnIntroduction
G.CORBETT:Features
A.MCMAHONandR.MCMAHON:EvolutionaryLinguistics
B.CLARK:RelevanceTheory
B.LONGPENGAnalyzingSoundPatterns
B.DANCYGIERandE.SWEETSERFigurativeLanguage
J.BYBEELanguageChange
S.G.THOMASONEndangeredLanguages:AnIntroduction
A.RADFORDAnalysingEnglishSentencesSecondedition
R.CLIFTConversationAnalysis
R.LEVINESyntacticAnalysis
I.PLAGWord-FormationinEnglishSecondedition
Z.G.SZABÓandR.H.THOMASONPhilosophyofLanguage
Earlierissuesnotlistedarealsoavailable
Philosophy of Language
ZOLTÁN GENDLER SZABÓ
YaleUniversity,Connecticut
RICHMOND H. THOMASON
UniversityofMichigan
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107096646
DOI:10.1017/9781316156353
©ZoltánGendlerSzabóandRichmondH.Thomason2019
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
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Firstpublished2019
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ISBN978-1-107-09664-6Hardback
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Contents
Preface pagexi
0 Introduction 1
0.1 QuineversusCarnaponIntensionality 1
0.2 RussellversusStrawsononReferring 9
0.3 AyerversusGeachonEthicalStatements 14
PartI PhilosophyofSemantics 19
1 FregeandTarski 21
1.1 Frege 21
1.1.1 AgainstFormalismandPsychologism 21
1.1.2 ObjectandFunction 22
1.1.3 ForceandContent 25
1.1.4 SenseandReference 26
1.2 Tarski 30
1.2.1 ObjectLanguageandMetalanguage 31
1.2.2 WhatShouldaDefinitionofTruthAccomplish? 31
1.2.3 DefiningTruthandSatisfaction 33
1.2.4 RelationalTruthandSatisfaction 33
1.2.5 AbsoluteTruthandSatisfaction 37
1.2.6 TheImpactofTarskianSemanticsonPhilosophy 38
1.3 Conclusion 40
2 Compositionality 41
2.1 WhatFollowsfromProductivity? 41
2.2 SubstitutivityandModelsofMeaning 49
2.3 ContextandCompositionality 55
2.4 ExplainingMeaning 59
2.5 Conclusion 62
3 ReferenceandQuantification 64
3.1 TheTruthandNothingbuttheTruth 64
3.1.1 Davidson’sProgram 66
3.1.2 TheInscrutabilityofReference 69
3.1.3 TheIrrelevanceofReference 71
3.2 WhatisaReferringExpression? 73
3.2.1 StandardAccounts 73
3.2.2 Acquaintance,orSomethinglikeIt 77
3.3 WhatisaQuantifier? 84
vii
viii CONTENTS
3.3.1 StandardAccounts 85
3.3.2 GeneralizingoverInstances 86
3.4 Conclusion 89
4 TenseandModality 91
4.1 Time,Modality,andLinguistics 91
4.2 TimeandExistence 91
4.3 EventsandTemporalStructure 94
4.4 Eventualities,Potentiality,andActuality 96
4.5 Observer-DependentTemporality 99
4.5.1 Subjective and Objective Conceptions of Time and
McTaggart’sArgument 99
4.5.2 InteractionswithPropositionalAttitudes 101
4.6 TimeinPhilosophyandLinguistics 103
4.7 PossibilityandPossibleWorlds 104
4.7.1 Possibilities,Propositions,andProbability 104
4.7.2 TheModalLogicians 107
4.7.3 PhilosophyofPossibleWorlds 107
4.7.4 Possible Worlds and the Requirements of Formal
Semantics 110
4.8 Possibilia 111
4.9 Conditionals 112
4.10 BeyondExtensions 117
4.11 Conclusion 120
5 Intentionality 122
5.1 MentalPhenomena 122
5.1.1 ConsciousnessastheMarkoftheMental 122
5.1.2 IntentionalityastheMarkoftheMental 123
5.2 Unreality 127
5.2.1 TheNonexistentObjectView 128
5.2.2 TheNoObjectView 129
5.2.3 TheAbstractObjectView 130
5.3 Propositions 133
5.3.1 BeyondtheMinimalCharacterization 135
5.3.2 AreTherePropositions? 136
5.3.3 WhatArePropositions? 138
5.4 Conclusion 146
PartII PhilosophyofPragmatics 149
6 AustinandGrice 151
6.1 Austin 151
6.1.1 OrdinaryLanguage 151
6.1.2 StatementsandTruth 155
6.1.3 SpeechActs 157
6.2 Grice 159
6.2.1 SpeakerMeaning 159
6.2.2 ConversationallyImplicatedMeaning 160
6.2.3 GriceandAustin 163
6.3 Conclusion 164
Contents ix
7 ContextandContent 165
7.1 StageDirectionsandSenses 165
7.2 TheProblemofIndexicalsbefore1967 166
7.3 VariablesandOpenFormulas 172
7.4 IndexicalsandTime 173
7.5 GeneralizingIndexicalSemantics 176
7.6 LookingFurther 178
7.7 Conclusion 179
8 CommonGroundandConversationalUpdate 180
8.1 ConversationandCooperativeActivity 180
8.2 TheIdeaofCommonGround 182
8.3 CommonGroundandPresupposition 184
8.4 Accommodation 188
8.5 ConversationalScoreandIngredientsofCommonGround 189
8.6 Mutuality 192
8.7 GroundingandDynamicsofCommonGround 193
8.8 Conclusion 195
9 ImplicatureandFigurativeSpeech 196
9.1 TwoBranchesofPragmatics 196
9.2 Implicature 200
9.2.1 PhilosophicalOriginsofImplicature 200
9.2.2 GriceonMeaningandImplicature 201
9.3 SpeakerandHearer 209
9.4 PragmaticReasoning 210
9.5 FigurativeSpeech 212
9.6 Conclusion 216
10 AssertionandOtherSpeechActs 217
10.1 Locution,Illocution,Perlocution 217
10.1.1 LanguageandIllocution 219
10.1.2 IllocutionandPropositionalContent 220
10.2 PerformativesandConstatives 221
10.3 Assertion 224
10.3.1 Implication 226
10.3.2 Expression 228
10.3.3 Requirement 229
10.4 Expressivism 231
10.5 Conclusion 233
PartIII MeaningasaPhilosophicalProblem 235
11 MeaningandUse 237
11.1 TheUseTheory 237
11.2 Grice’sProgram 242
11.3 Lewis’Program 249
11.4 LinguisticMeaningandLanguageUse 255
11.5 Conclusion 257
x CONTENTS
12 ExternalismandInternalism 258
12.1 TwoThesesaboutMeaning 258
12.1.1 TheArthritisArgument 259
12.1.2 TheWaterArgument 260
12.1.3 Comparison 262
12.2 TwoAttemptstoBlocktheArguments 262
12.3 Externalism 266
12.4 NarrowContent 270
12.5 Conclusion 275
13 ParadoxandVagueness 277
13.1 TheThreatofParadox 277
13.2 TheSemanticParadoxes 279
13.3 VaguenessandtheSoritesParadox 284
13.3.1 TheVaguenessPhenomenon 284
13.3.2 TheSoritesParadox 284
13.3.3 TheSemanticsofDegree 287
13.4 Conclusion 287
Glossary 289
Bibliography 297
AuthorIndex 321
SubjectIndex 325