Reference and representation in thought and language / edited by María de Ponte and Kepa Korta.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ponte, María, editor.

Korta, Kepa, editor.

Series:

Oxford linguistics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reference (Linguistics).

Realization (Linguistics).

Representation (Philosophy).

Physical Description:

xi, 283 pages ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2017.

Summary:

This volume offers novel views on the precise relation between reference to an object by means of a linguistic expression and our mental representation of that object, long a source of debate in the philosophy of language, linguistics, and cognitive science. Chapters in this volume deal with our devices for singular reference and singular representation, with most focusing on linguistic expressions that are used to refer to particular objects, persons, or places. These expressions include proper names such as Mary and John; indexicals such as I and tomorrow; demonstrative pronouns such as this and that; and some definite and indefinite descriptions such as The Queen of England or a medical doctor. Other chapters examine the ways we represent objects in thought, particularly the first-person perspective and the self, and one explores a notion common to reference and representation: salience. The volume includes the latest views on these complex topics from some of the most prominent authors in the field and will be of interest to anyone working on issues of reference and representation in thought and language.

Contents:

1 Introduction / María de Ponte Ponte, María de, Kepa Korta Korta, Kepa 1

2 Names, predicates, and the object-property distinction / Genoveva Martí Martí, Genoveva 14

2.1 Subject and predicate: Object and property 14

2.2 What proper names do 16

2.3 Predicates and the properties things have in common 17

3 Proper names: Gender, context sensitivity, and conversational implicatures / Eros Corazza Corazza, Eros 20

3.1 Introduction 20

3.2 Names and gender determination 22

3.3 Names, meaning, and conversational implicatures 25

3.4 Names and context sensitivity 38

3.5 Conclusion 41

4 Indexicals and undexicals / John Perry Perry, John 46

4.1 Introduction 46

4.2 Temporal indexicals 48

4.3 Roles and information games 51

4.4 Indexicality 55

4.5 Conclusion 55

5 Reference, intention, and context: Do demonstratives really refer? / Kent Back Back, Kent 57

5.1 Demonstratives: A lack of character? 59

5.2 Two versions of semantic intentionalism 62

5.3 The meaning of demonstratives and the status of referential intentions 65

5.4 Clarifications and replies to some objections 67

5.5 Summing up 71

6 Semantic complexity / Maite Ezcurdia Ezcurdia, Maite 73

6.1 Rigidity and referring expressions 76

6.2 Reference and semantic construction 78

6.3 Criteria for intelligibility 82

6.4 Systematic acts of referring 86

6.5 Syntactic arguments and uses of indexicals 92

6.6 The way forward 102

7 Donnellan's misdescriptions and loose talk / Carlo Penco Penco, Carlo 104

7.1 Problems with Kripke's account of referential misdescriptions 105

7.2 A first defence of Donnellan's strong claim: Kinds of strong inertness thesis 108

7.3 Donnellan's argument against Humpty Dumpty 111

7.4 Donnellan's point on loose talk 114

7.5 A weakened inertness thesis and its challenges 117

7.6 Two ways of presenting a weakened inertness thesis 121

7.7 Conclusion 123

8 Pre-semantic pragmatic enrichment: The case of long-distance reflexivization / Yan Huang Huang, Yan 126

8.1 Long-distance reflexivization 127

8.2 Determining the reference of long-distance reflexivization: A neo-Gricean pragmatic approach 129

8.3 Pre-semantic pragmatic penetration into reference identification: Explicature, pragmatically enriched said, implicIture or implicAture? 141

9 The interplay of recipient design and salience in shaping speaker's utterance / Istvan Kecskes Kecskes, Istvan 144

9.1 Introduction 144

9.2 The sociocognitive approach 145

9.3 How is the speaker's utterance shaped? 150

9.4 Context and speaker meaning 153

9.5 The semantics-pragmatics interface in L₁ and intercultural 156

9.6 When and how can speakers manipulate speaker meaning? 158

9.7 Conclusion 161

10 New thoughts about old facts: On Prior's root canal / María de Ponte Ponte, María de, Kepa Korta Korta, Kepa 163

10.1 Introduction 163

10.2 Thank goodness that's over 164

10.3 The knowledge argument and Prior's challenge 167

10.4 New A-thought/old B-fact 170

10.5 Back to Mary 172

10.6 Linking A- and B-thoughts 174

10.7 Conclusion 176

11 Cognitive dynamics: A new look at an old problem / François Recanati Recanati, François 179

11.1 The problem 179

11.2 Allegedly diachronic inferences 182

11.3 Dynamic files 185

11.4 Rational relationships and proper dynamic files 189

11.5 Failsafe updating 191

12 The property theory and de se attitudes / Wayne A. Davis Davis, Wayne A. 195

12.1 The property theory 196

12.2 Objections to the property theory 198

12.3 Conceptual propositions and self-concept theory 212

12.4 Indexical concepts and determinants 217

12.5 Presentational determinants and self-concepts 220

13 Selfhood as self-representation / Kenneth A. Taylor Taylor, Kenneth A. 224

13.1 Preliminaries: Self as the bearer of selfhood 224

13.2 Advertisement for three layers of selfhood 231

13.3 On the psycho-functional roles of self-representations 233

13.4 A brief historical interlude on Locke, Hume, and Kant 237

13.5 The unity of the self as representational unity 246

13.6 Conclusion: Beyond raw selfhood 253.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780198714217

0198714211

OCLC:

973400433