Philosophy of Language
EC 300, TR 9:00 – 10:15
Professor Chauncey Maher
maherc@dickinson.edu East College 201
Office Hours: 4-5 TW, or by appointment
Course Description
What is the meaning of a word? How is it related to the thing or things it picks out? Can
we provide a systematic account of the meaning of every sentence of a natural language (such as
English, Japanese or Hebrew)? What is the relationship between what words mean and what we
get across with them? In what sense, if at all, do we follow rules when use language?
This course is an introduction to thinking philosophically about language in which we will
consider those questions among others.
Goals
-develop understanding of several issues central to thinking philosophically about language
-enhance skills of critical reasoning through discussion and writing
Texts
A.P. Martinich, Philosophy of Language [M]
+ photocopies available on Moodle [P]
Evaluation
Philosophical issues are often more easily grasped when discussed with others. Almost
every week, we will dedicate time solely to discussing the issues and questions raised by the reading
for that week. Your participation in these discussions is worth 15% of your final grade. Please see
my comments on participation at the end of the syllabus for more details.
Essay 1: Words
Essay 2: Sentences
Essay 3: Pragmatics or Rule-Following
3 pages
5 pages
5 pages
20%
30%
35%
Due 2/22
Due 3/31
Due 5/9
Schedule of Readings
Date
1/25
T
Topic
Reading (for this day in class)
Introduction to the course
(None)
Words
1/27
R
What is language?
O’Grady, et al., Contemporary
Linguistics, “Animal Communication”
[P]
1
2/1
T
2/3
2/8
T
2/10
2/15
T
Sense and reference of a name
Frege, “On Sense and Reference” [M]
Descriptions
The cluster-concept theory of reference for
names
Russell, “On Denoting” [M]
Kripke, Naming and Necessity (excerpt)
[M]
A causal theory of reference for names
Against the causal theory
Kripke, Naming and Necessity (excerpt)
Evans, “Causal Theory of Names” [M]
Sentences
2/17
2/22
T
2/24
3/1
T
3/3
Meaning and speaker intentions
Meaning and speaker intentions
1st Essay Due
Grice, “Meaning” [M]
Grice, “Meaning”
1st Essay Due
Meaning and truth conditions
Meaning and truth conditions
Davidson, “Truth and Meaning” [M]
Davidson, “Truth and Meaning”
Meaning and truth conditions
3/8
T
3/10
3/15
T
3/17
3/22
T
3/24
Meaning and inferential role
Davidson, “Truth and Meaning” [M]
[Davidson, “Belief and the Basis of
Meaning”]
Brandom, “Semantic Inferentialism”
from Articulating Reasons [P]
NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK
NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
Meaning and inferential role
Brandom, “Semantic Inferentialism”
from Articulating Reasons
Meaning and inferential role
Brandom, “Semantic Inferentialism”
from Articulating Reasons
Pragmatics
3/29
T
3/31
4/5
T
4/7
4/12
T
4/14
Doing things with words
Austin, “Performative Utterances” [M]
Illocutionary acts
2nd Essay Due
Implicature
Searle, “The Structure of Illocutionary
Acts” [M]
2nd Essay Due
Grice, “Logic and Conversation” [M]
Implicature
Distinguishing pragmatics and semantics
Grice, “Logic and Conversation”
Travis, “Annals of Analysis” [P]
Processing Implicatures
Carston, “Linguistic Meaning,
Communicated Meaning and Cognitive
2
Pragmatics” [P]
Rule-Following
4/19
T
4/21
4/26
T
4/28
Skepticism about meaning
Kripke, On Rules and Private Language,
excerpt [M]
Possible answers
Kripke’s skeptical solution
Kripke, On Rules and Private Language
Kripke, On Rules and Private Language
Against Kripke
5/3
T
5/5
5/9
Against semantic normativity
McDowell, “Wittgenstein on Following a
Rule” [P]
Wikforss, “Semantic Normativity” [P]
(slack)
3rd Essay Due by 2pm
(slack)
3rd Essay Due by 2pm
Academic Honesty
Any case of suspected academic dishonesty must be reported. Note: “To plagiarize is to
use without proper citation or acknowledgment the words, ideas, or work of another. Plagiarism is
a form of cheating that refers to several types of unacknowledged borrowing.” When in doubt, cite
it. For more information, please see the handbook on Community Standards here:
http://www.dickinson.edu/student/files/commstand0809.pdf
Disabilities
In compliance with the Dickinson College policy and equal access laws, I am available to
discuss requests made by students with disabilities for academic accommodations. Such requests
must be verified in advance this semester by Marni Jones, Coordinator of Disability Services, who
will provide a signed copy of an accommodation letter. This must be presented in a scheduled
meeting with me prior to any accommodations being offered. Requests for academic
accommodations should be made during the first three weeks of the semester (except for unusual
circumstances) so that timely and appropriate arrangements can be made.
Students requesting accommodations are required to register with Disability Services,
located in Academic Advising, first floor of Biddle House (contact ext. 1080 or
jonesmar@dickinson.edu) to verify their eligibility for reasonable and appropriate
accommodations.
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Participation
What it is:
1. A comment or question on a specific claim or argument made by the author. This
requires pointing to the specific passage.
a. This can be interpretive. E.g. ‘What does Socrates mean when he says S on
page P?’ Here you have the burden of saying what you think S means.
b. Or it can be critical. E.g. ‘Socrates claims S, but he doesn’t seem to have a good
reason for it.’ Here you have the burden of saying why you think the person has
a bad reason.
2. A comment or question on a specific claim made by me or someone else.
a. As above, this can be interpretive or critical.
What it is not:
1. Asking what the assignment is for next time.
2. Saying ‘yea’ to what someone else says.
3. Sitting in your chair and saying nothing.
4. Saying things like, “The central impediment to a transcendental deduction of the
systematic marginalization of the epistemic condition of the proletariat is what the poststructuralist movement has called the malaise of language.” Aim to speak plainly and to
the issues at hand. One way to achieve this is by rooting your comments in specific
claims in the text.
Each act of participation is worth 1 “credit”. You need 15 credits to count as participating fully in
the course. (Basically, each act of proper participation is worth 1 percent of your total grade.)
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