Monographs and proceedings

Reference is one of the basic relations between linguistic expressions and extralinguistic objects, or between language users and the objects they speak about. The theory of reference deals with the study of vertical relations between language and the world. Reference is therefore one of the central concepts of the philosophy of language and analytical philosophy, which is guided by the following methodological maxim: if you want to solve a philosophical problem — for example, from ontology, epistemology, ethics, etc. — examine the language in which you express yourself about this problem. The book deals with the semantic and pragmatic aspects of the reference of the two most important types of singular expressions: individual descriptions, but especially proper nouns. The argumentation in the book rests on three pillars: one is the distinction between expressive and intentional reference (which is inspired by Donnellan's distinction between referential and attributive use of descriptions), the second is the competence distinction between the theory of reference and the theory of meaning, and the third is the classification of different kinds of proper nouns with regard to their semantic and referential behavior. The author pays special attention to Kripke's notion of the rigid designator, which is at the center of modern thinking about proper nouns. In this context, the author analyzes and critically confronts several well-known theories of reference (Mill, Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Searle, Devitt, etc.), and formulates his proposals for explaining the meaning and reference of proper nouns.

Publisher: Iris

Typ knihy: monography

Vydanie: 1.

Rok vydania: 2004

Miesto vydania: Bratislava

Počet strán: 254

Language: slovenský

ISBN 9788089018680 (print)