How to Understand Language: A Philosophical Enquiry

Bernhard Weiss

Published by McGill-Queen's University Press 2010

How to Understand Language

A Philosophical Enquiry

Bernhard Weiss

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780773594654

Overview
Contents

About this book

Why are philosophers, as opposed to, say, linguists and psychologists, puzzled by language? How should we attempt to shed philosophical light on the phenomenon of language? How to Understand Language frames a discussion in light of these two questions and begins by thinking about the reasons that language is hard to understand from a philosophical point of view. After finding fault with approaches based on philosophical analysis and on translation, Bernhard Weiss undertakes an extended investigation of the program of constructing a theory of meaning and emphasizes the importance of use as fundamental in semantic theorizing.

Author / Editor information

Weiss Bernhard :

Bernhard Weiss is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Cape Town.Bernhard Weiss is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Cape Town.

Topics

Front Matter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
The puzzles of language Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
The starting-point for analysis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Analysing sentence-meaning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
Analysing synonymy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
Radical translation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
The structure of a theory of meaning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Radical interpretation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
Linguistic norms, communication and radical interpretation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
Linguistic normativity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Radical or robust? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Language and community Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
Rules and privacy: the problem Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
Rules and privacy: the solution? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
Truth-conditions versus use-conditions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267

Language: English
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Audience: College/higher education;Professional and scholarly;

eBook

Published: January 1, 2010
ISBN: 9780773594654