Language Being

This course is an introduction to the philosophy of language. The philosophy of language is the study of the properties and workings of natural human language. It is a 'core' branch of contemporary analytic philosophy, in the sense that concepts developed by philosophers of language have proven useful in other areas of philosophy (including metaphysics, logic, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and ethics). The course will focus on three linguistic phenomena. First, we examine reference, and ask how a linguistic expression can refer to things in the world. Next, we study the nature of linguistic meaning, and ask how a verbal noise or written mark acquires meaning. Finally, we explore pragmatics, and analyze the various uses of language exercised by speakers in practical contexts.