Philosophy And Linguistics

Philosophy of Linguistics investigates the foundational concepts and methods of linguistics, the scientific study of human language. This groundbreaking collection, the most thorough treatment of the philosophy of linguistics ever published, brings together philosophers, scientists and historians to map out both the foundational assumptions set during the second half of the last century and the unfolding shifts in perspective in which more functionalist perspectives are explored. The opening chapter lays out the philosophical background in preparation for the papers that follow, which demonstrate the shift in the perspective of linguistics study through discussions of syntax, semantics, phonology and cognitive science more generally. The volume serves as a detailed introduction for those new to the field as well as a rich source of new insights and potential research agendas for those already engaged with the philosophy of linguistics. Part of the Handbook of the Philosophy of Science series edited by: Dov M. Gabbay, King's College, London, UK; Paul Thagard, University of Waterloo, Canada; and John Woods, University of British Columbia, Canada. Provides a bridge between philosophy and current scientific findings Encourages multi-disciplinary dialogue Covers theory and applications

In the 1960s and 1970s questions about the semantics of natural languages were of central concern to the vast majority of analytic philosophers. The work of Chomsky, Davidson, Grice, Donnellan, Kaplan, Kripke and Putnam was widely read by non-specialists. The three main branches of linguistics that are of special philosophical significance-syntax,

The dual purpose of this volume--to provide a distinctively philosophical introduction to logic, as well as a logic-oriented approach to philosophy--makes it a unique and worthwhile primary text for logic or philosophy courses.

This volume brings together a diverse range of scholars to address important philosophical and interdisciplinary questions in the study of language. Linguistics throughout history has been a conduit to the study of the mind, brain, societal structure, literature and history itself. The epistemic and methodological transfer between the sciences and humanities in regards to linguistics has often been documented, but the underlying philosophical issues have not always been adequately addressed. With 15 original and interdisciplinary chapters, this volume therefore tackles vital questions relating to the philosophy, history, and theoretical interplay between the study of language and fields as varied as logic, physics, biology, classical philology and neuroscience. With a four part structure, questions of the mathematical foundations of linguistics, links to the natural sciences, cognitive implications and historical connections, take centre stage throughout the volume. The final chapters present research related to the linguistic connections between history, philosophy and the humanities more broadly. Advancing new avenues of research, this volume is exemplary in its treatment of diachronic and cross-disciplinary interaction, and will be of interest to all scholars interested in the study of language.

Peter Ludlow presents the first book on the philosophy of generative linguistics. He explains the motivation of the generative framework, describes its mechanisms, and addresses issues of broad philosophical interest, for instance the ontology of linguistics, the nature of data, language/world relations, and best theory criteria.

This book offers introductory entries on 80 ideas that have shaped the study of language up to the present day. Entries are written by experts in the fields of linguistics and the philosophy of language to reflect the full range of approaches and modes of thought. Each entry includes a brief description of the idea, an account of its development, and its impact on the field of language study. The book is written in an accessible style with clear descriptions of technical terms, guides to further reading, and extensive cross-referencing between entries. A useful additional feature of this book is that it is cross-referenced throughout with Key Thinkers in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language (Edinburgh, 2005), revealing significant connections and continuities in the two related disciplines. Ideas covered range from Sense Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Logic, through Generative Semantics, Cognitivism, and Conversation Analysis, to Political Correctness, Deconstruction, and Corpora.

The present volume investigates the legacy of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein in contemporary philosophy of language and linguistics. These philosophers inspired both the development of analytic philosophy and various philosophical approaches to the study of language. They have influenced technical discussions on truth, proper names, definite descriptions, propositions and predication, sense and reference, truth, and philosophical and linguistic inquiries into the relations between language, mind and the world. The studies gathered in this volume discuss most of these issues and aim to show that the results of this research are still of utmost importance, and that the three philosophers have significantly contributed to the linguistic turn in philosophy and the philosophical turn in the study of language. The volume includes contributions by: Joachim Adler (Zurich), Maria Cerezo (Murcia), Pawel Grabarczyk (Lodz), Arkadiusz Gutt (Lublin), Tom Hughes (Durham), Gabriele Mras (Vienna), Carl Humphries (Cracow), Gary Kemp (Glasgow), Siu-Fan Lee (Hong Kong), Jaroslav Peregrin (Prague), Ulrich Reichard (Durham), Piotr Stalmaszczyk (Lodz), Piotr Szalek (Lublin), Mieszko Talasiewicz (Warsaw).

The application of philosophy to language study, and language study to philosophy, has experienced demonstrable intellectual growth and diversification in recent decades. Concise Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language and Linguistics comprehensively analyzes and evaluates many of the most interesting facets of this vibrant field. An edited collection of articles taken from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, Second Edition, this volume acts as a single-stop desk reference resource for the field, comprising contributions from the foremost scholars of philosophy of linguistics in their various interdisciplinary specializations. From Plato's Cratylus to Semantic and Epistemic Holism, this fascinating work authoritatively unpacks the diverse and multi-layered concepts of meaning, expression, identity, truth, and countless other themes and subjects straddling the linguistic-philosophical meridian, in 175 articles and over 900 pages. Authoritative review of this dynamic field placed in an interdisciplinary context Approximately 175 articles by leaders in the field Compact and affordable single-volume format