Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) [Paperback]

William G. Lycan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415171164 | ISBN-13: 978-0415171168 | Publication Date: January 2, 2000 | Edition: annotated edition

Philosophy of Language introduces the student to the main issues and theories in twentieth-century philosophy of language. Topics are structured in three parts in the book. Part I, Reference and Referring Expressions, includes topics such as Russell's Theory of Desciptions, Donnellan's distinction, problems of anaphora, the description theory of proper names, Searle's cluster theory, and the causal-historical theory. Part II, Theories of Meaning, surveys the competing theories of linguistic meaning and compares their various advantages and liabilities. Part III, Pragmatics and Speech Acts, introduces the basic concepts of linguistic pragmatics, includes a detailed discussion of the problem of indirect force and surveys approaches to metaphor.
Unique features of the text:
* chapter overviews and summaries
* clear supportive examples
* study questions
* annotated further reading
* glossary.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This exceptional text fulfills two essential criteria of a good introductory textbook in the philosophy of language: it covers a broad range of topics well, all of which are the basis of current active research, and does so in an accurate manner accessible to undergraduate students.
–Mike Harnish, University of Arizona

...an excellent textbook for teaching. the examples throughout are delightful and students will love them.
–Edwin Mares, Victoria University of Wellington

About the Author

William G. Lycan is a leading philosopher of language and mind. He is William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill. His published works include Modality and Meaning (1994) and Consciousness and Experience (1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; annotated edition edition (January 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415171164
• ISBN-13: 978-0415171168
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,134,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive summary of the field, February 12, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

I haven't touched the philosophy of language for 20 years, so it was nice to pick up a text that gets you right back into this interesting subject. To appreciate the philosophy of language you have to be amazed that we can make noises or marks to others that carry meaning and elicit the variety of responses that take place in human social interaction. Lycan brings you right into the heart of this phenomenon and brings out all the important ideas and counter ideas in lively and occasionally funny prose. Most importantly, he makes the topic readily undertandable and interesting.

Beyond the topic of "meaning", Lycan surveys speech acts, metaphors, etc. I think it will give the interested reader a pretty good grasp of the central issues in the field. The introductory summaries for each section and the study questions and tips for further reading make this a great book for the student or interested nonstudent (like me).

If you are perplexed at how the philosophy of language can be fun and interesting, this is the book for you.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent phil of lang overview, January 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

this book has several things going for it:
first, it is an informative and brief, yet thorough, introduction to some central issues in the philosophy of language. for each issue, lycan summarizes the problems to be solved, explains some theories with which prominent philosophers have attempted to solve them, and provides possible objections and replies to those theories. lycan links each issue smoothly with the next, so that the reader sees clearly how the different problems in the field are related.
second, the reader is provided with chapter introductions, chapter summaries, review questions, and a long bibliography.
third, lycan makes his text entertaining with some great sarcasm, and by creating humorous (yet effective) examples. i actually laughed out loud several times while reading this text.

overall, this is a great book. i highly recommend it to beginners in the philosophy of language.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasure to read, January 19, 2005

By 

Lawprof (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

I just want to echo the other reviewers. This is a wonderful introductory text. I am a law professor who is interested in learning more about philosophy of language. This was the first book I read, and it fit the bill wonderfully. It provides a nice overview of major debates in the field. And it is accessible, logically structured, and fun to read. It certainly warrants five stars. I hasten to add that I do not know (and have never met) the author of this book (I believe such disclaimers are necessary when reviewing books on amazon).