Meaning Of Meaning [Paperback]

C. K. Ogden (Author), I. A. Richards (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0156584468 | ISBN-13: 978-0156584463 | Publication Date: June 26, 1989

Language is the most important of all the instruments of civilization. This is the premise of a work whose significance to the study of language, literature, and philosophy has remained undiminished since its original publication in 1923. New Introduction by Umberto Eco; Indices.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ivor Armstrong Richards (26 February 1893 in Sandbach, Cheshire – 7 September 1979 in Cambridge) was an influential English literary critic and rhetorician. His books, especially The Meaning of Meaning, Principles of Literary Criticism, Practical Criticism, and The Philosophy of Rhetoric, proved to be founding influences for the New Criticism. The concept of 'practical criticism' led in time to the practices of close reading, what is often thought of as the beginning of modern literary criticism. Richards is regularly considered one of the founders of the contemporary study of literature in English.

Charles Kay Ogden (June 1, 1889 Fleetwood, Lancashire – March 21, 1957 London) was an English linguist, philosopher, and writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (June 26, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156584468
• ISBN-13: 978-0156584463
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative study of language, April 30, 2010

By 

David W. Drake (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meaning Of Meaning (Paperback)

I read this book years ago when I was really into this area. Very good and thought provoking discussion of ideas and problem we rarely think about, although we use language every day.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated but still very relevant, March 29, 2006

By 

Daniel G. Mccreary "Dr. Data Dictionary" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Meaning Of Meaning (Paperback)

I first encountered reference to this book when reading about the semantic web. The key innovation was the "semiotic triangle" where we are encouraged to think of things, thoughts and symbols in separate and distinct domains. I now use the "semantic triangle" (a more approachable name) in many of my semantic web training classes. The key concept to get across to students is that when computers need to communicate, there are many limitations when using symbols alone, which can have many different meaning within different contexts. For example the word "run" has over 50 different meanings according to WordNet. A more robust way to exchange information between computers is to associate data elements with concepts. This books was one of the first books to build these models of communication.