Philosophy of Language: An Introduction

Philosophy of Language provides students with an accessible yet detailed introduction to the major issues and thinkers in the subject. Ideal for use on undergraduate courses, but also of value for postgraduate students, the structure and content of this textbook closely reflect the way the philosophy of language is taught and studied. Thematically structured, the book introduces the work of leading thinkers who have contributed to the discipline, including Frege, Russell, Strawson, Grice, Quine, Davidson and Lewis. The author examines key distinctions in the philosophy of language, including sense and reference, sense and force, descriptions and names, semantics and pragmatics, extensional, intensional, and hyperintensional contexts, and the problems which these distinctions involve. Chris Daly's cogent and thorough analysis is supplemented by student-friendly features, including chapter summaries, questions for discussion, guides to further reading, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography.

Table of Contents:
Preface \ Introduction \ 1. Frege on Names \ 2. Frege on Predicates \ 3. Frege on Sentences \ 4. Frege on Force and Tone \ 5. Russell on Definite Descriptions \ 6. Grice on Meaning \ 7. Grice on Conversational Implicature \ 8. Quine's Scepticism about Meaning \ 9. Davidson on Extensional Theories of Meaning \ 10. Lewis on Intensional Theories of Meaning \ Conclusion \ Glossary \ References \ Index

About the Author :
Chris Daly is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester, UK. He is also the author of Introduction to Philosophical Methods (Broadview Press, 2010).

Review :
‘This is a lucid, engaging, but also rigorous, introduction to the philosophy of language. It will make an excellent undergraduate textbook and I recommend it very strongly to anyone looking for a clear introduction to this topic.' An outstanding introduction to the philosophy of language as well as to the thought of such major contributors. Written with admirable clarity it will prove accessible to undergraduates encountering the subject for the first time. ‘Chris Daly's Philosophy of Language is an excellent introduction to the subject and its history.Written with Daly's characteristic lucidity, it covers the essential details of this technical discipline in a way that should be readily accessible to beginners.Advanced students and professionals, too, will benefit from Daly's sophisticated—yet eminently readable—presentation of the subject.I look forward to teaching this book.' ‘Some introductions to the philosophy of language are highly readable but somewhat superficial in their treatment of the core issues, while others are substantive but not terribly user friendly. A chief virtue of Daly's book is that it's philosophically nuanced yet written in a way that complex ideas are accessible to students. I look forward to using this textbook in my own introduction to philosophy of language course.'