Language, meaning, and truth; names, descriptions, and demonstratives; semantic content; and convention, intention, and the pragmatics of language are deemed the basics. The 29 selected classic and new essays could undergird a one-semester course introducing the philosophy of language. Among the usual suspects are Wittgenstein, Chomsky, Davidson, Quine, Frege, Kripke, and Searle. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
This collection of classic and contemporary essays in philosophy of language offers a concise introduction to the field for students in graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses. It includes some of the most important basic sources in philosophy of language, as well as new essays by scholars on the leading edge of innovation in this increasingly influential area of philosophy. Each chapter is preceded the editors' introduction.