Philosophy of logic and language, and of meaning and communication are central to this volume. The discussion of these issues involves analytical approaches, including semantics and semiotics, philosophy of science, mathematical logic, phenomenology, hermeneutics and some aspects of philosophical anthropology and aesthetics. Philosophy of the Absolute also belongs to this broad repertoire of philosophical problems and disciplines. A number of problems and viewpoints derive from the metaphysical system; any relativistic view on ethical values, for instance, makes sense in relation to some absolute. Metaphysical system building may have come to an end, but after all it belongs to philosophy to remind us of our past.

The first glossary to cover the theories, debates, concepts, problems and philosophers within the philosophy of language in one volume. This essential reference tool, written in a language accessible to beginners and non-specialists alike, provides concise and precise entries on all the relevant key terms and issues. It includes extensive cross-references which indicate the contexts of each entry, and can be used to deepen understanding of any given topic. Philosophy of Language A-Z offers clear and thorough guidance on how to negotiate the complexities of the philosophy of language.

 

Philosophy of Language introduces the non-specialist to the main issues and theories in twentieth-century philosophy of language, focusing specifically on linguistic phenomena. Part I explores several theories of how proper names, descriptions, and other terms bear a referential relation to non-linguistic objects. Part II surveys competing theories of linguistic meaning and compares their various advantages and liabilities. Part III introduces the basic concepts of linguistic pragmatics, includes a detailed discussion of the problems of indirect force, and Part IV examines linguistic theories of metaphor.

 

Discourse Analysis and the Study of Classroom Language and Literacy Events: A Microethnographic Perspective provides a rich discussion of classroom discourse informed by careful and thoughtful analysis thatdraws together scholarly advances in sociocultural analysis, sociolinguistics, positionality, identity, power and meaning making. It offers to the field a book which can serve multiple purposes: an introduction to classroom analysis, a discussion of different lenses for exploring the dynamics of classrooms, an exploration of the key theorists in the aforementioned areas, and examples of classroom discourse with analyses that researchers and practitioners can use as the basis for pursuing their own analyses. At the same time, it represents a somewhat rare contribution....collaboration among school-based educators with university scholars. This volume is a timely and significant addition to the field.

In Context and Content Robert Stalnaker develops a philosophical picture of the nature of speech and thought and the relations between them. Two themes in particular run through these collected essays: the role that the context in which speech takes place plays in accounting for the way language is used to express thought, and the role of the external environment in determining the contents of our thoughts. Stalnaker argues against the widespread assumption of the priority of linguistic over mental representation, which he suggests has had a distorting influence on our understanding.