PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Catalog description

This course provides an introduction to the central problems and foundational theories in the philosophy of language. We will investigate central semantic issues concerning the nature of reference, meaning, and truth; examine key pragmatic issues concerning the role of context and the ways in which we use language; and explore expressive and figurative uses of language such as metaphor. Such issues lie at heart of many perennial philosophical puzzles, encompass debates in linguistics and psycholinguistics, and pose challenges to work in Computer Science and, especially, Artificial Intelligence.