Overview

Metasemantics comprises new work on the philosophical foundations of linguistic semantics, by a diverse group of established and emerging experts in the philosophy of language, metaphysics, and the theory of content. The science of semantics aspires to systematically specify the meanings of linguistic expressions in context. The paradigmatic metasemantic question is accordingly: what more basic or fundamental features of the world metaphysically determine these semantic facts? Efforts to answer this question inevitably raise others. Where are the boundaries of semantics? What is the essence of the meaning relation? Which framework should we use for semantic theorizing? What are the intrinsic natures of semantic values? Are the semantic facts metaphysically determinate? What is semantic competence? Metasemantic inquiry has long been recognized as a central part of the philosophy of language, but recent developments in metaphysics and semantics itself now allow us to approach these classic questions with an unprecedented degree of precision. The essays collected here provide promising new perspectives on old problems, pose questions that suggest novel research projects, and taken together, greatly sharpen our understanding of linguistic representation.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alexis Burgess (Stanford University) ,  Brett Sherman (University of Rochester)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 24.30cm
Weight:   0.730kg
ISBN:  

9780199669592

ISBN 10:   0199669597
Pages:   378
Publication Date:   30 October 2014
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Scott Soames: Preface Alexis Burgess and Brett Sherman: Introduction: A Plea for the Metaphysics of Meaning 1: Seth Yalcin: Semantics and Metasemantics in the Context of Generative Grammar 2: Michael Caie: Metasemantics and Metaphysical Indeterminacy 3: Jeffrey C. King: The Metasemantics of Contextual-Sensitivity 4: Alejandro Pérez Carballo: Semantic Hermeneutics 5: Mark Greenberg: Troubles for Content I 6: Mark Greenberg: Troubles for Content II: Explaining Grounding 7: Amie L. Thomasson: Deflationism in Semantics and Metaphysics 8: Sam Cumming: Discourse Content 9: Karen S. Lewis: Do We Need Dynamic Semantics? 10: Michael Glanzberg: Explanation and Partiality in Semantic Theory 11: Matti Eklund: Replacing Truth? 12: Isidora Stojanovic: Prepragmatics: Widening the Semantics/Pragmatics Boundary 13: Richard G. Heck, Jr.: Semantics and Context-Dependence: Towards a Strawsonian Account

Reviews

Metasemantics is a valuable addition to the literature in philosophy of language and linguistics ... It should be clear from these summaries that this is a wide ranging and extremely interesting collection that reflects many current trends in philosophical theorising about language, notably attention to developments in formal semantics ... It clearly shows the continued relevance of semantic and metasemantic issues to metaphysics, metaethics, and other areas of philosophy, as well as the intrinsic interest of various metasemantic questions. I look forward to seeing the new wave of metasemantic theorising that is likely to follow. Derek Ball, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online

Metasemantics is a valuable addition to the literature in philosophy of language and linguistics ... It should be clear from these summaries that this is a wide ranging and extremely interesting collection that reflects many current trends in philosophical theorising about language, notably attention to developments in formal semantics ... It clearly shows the continued relevance of semantic and metasemantic issues to metaphysics, metaethics, and other areas of philosophy, as well as the intrinsic interest of various metasemantic questions. I look forward to seeing the new wave of metasemantic theorising that is likely to follow. * Derek Ball, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online * Their work is among the best by early-to-mid-career philosophers of language working today. * Daniel W. Harris, Australasian Journal of Philosophy. *

Author Information

Alexis Burgess is an assistant professor of philosophy at Stanford University. He works mainly at the intersection of metaphysics and the philosophy of language. His articles have appeared in journals like Linguistics and Philosophy, Noûs, and The Australasian Journal of Philosophy. With John P. Burgess, he is co-author of Truth (Princeton University Press). ; Brett Sherman is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Rochester. His research centers on problems in the philosophy of language and epistemology.

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