George Dalgarno on Universal Language: "The Art of Signs" (1661), "The Deaf and Dumb Man's Tutor" (1680), and the Unpublished Papers [Hardcover]

David Cram (Editor), Jaap Maat (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0198237324 | ISBN-13: 978-0198237327

George Dalgarno's Art of Signs (Ars Signorum, 1661) was the first work in the seventeenth century to present a fully elaborated universal language constructed on philosophical principles. It contains a wealth of observations on human language and the nature of representation in general, and the author takes issue with leading philosophers of his day, notably Hobbes and Descartes, on epistemological and logical questions. By including the first complete English translation alongside the Latin, the present edition makes this seminal text accessible to a wider audience. In bringing together for the first time the full range of Dalgarno's linguistic work - which has striking resonance with modern work in universal grammar and cognitive science - this volume gives ready access to the ideas of this original and stimulating thinker.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Original Language: English, Latin

About the Author

David Cram is a Fellow of Jesus College and Lecturer in General Linguistics at the University of Oxford. His research interests are in lexical semantics and pragmatics, translation theory, and the history of linguistics. He was a founder member of the Henry Sweet Society for the History of Linguistics. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles within the areas of general linguistics, Scottish Gaelic, and the history of linguistics. Jaap Maat works in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. His concern with seventeenth-century universal language schemes arose from his interests in the philosophy of language of the period. He is also interested in the broader history of semantics, logic, and epistemology, as well as in current semantic theory. He has published various articles on seventeenth-century philosophical languages, in particular on Leibniz's concerns with the subject.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 474 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198237324
• ISBN-13: 978-0198237327
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,414,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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