2.
Theories of Language Description - F16
Aims:
The course aims to introduce students to the basic theories of
language to enhance their understanding of Linguistics. By the end of this
course students will be able to develop a thorough understanding of the
philosophical and theoretical frameworks, the knowledge of which is essential
for linguistic analysis.
Contents:
· Language and Philosophy
· Issues in the Philosophy of Language
· Some major philosophers and their philosophy of language (Bakhtin,
Locke, Wittgenstein, etc)
· Theories of Language
· Theories of Meaning
· Major Schools of Linguistics:
o Historicism
o Structuralism
o Descriptivism
o Functionalism
o Generativism
Weekly Schedule
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Week
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Topic
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Philosophical / Theoretical
Readings
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Practical / Logic Reading
A Concise Introduction to Logic, Patrick J. Hurley
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1
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Introduction to the Course
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1.1 Arguments, Premises, and
Conclusions
1.2 Recognizing Arguments
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2
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Theories of Meaning
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W1-TLD-Theories of Meaning -
Akmajian (Download from Website)
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1.3 Deduction and Induction
1.4 Validity, Truth, Soundness,
Strength, Cogency
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3
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Words and things
Classical philosophy
The British Empiricists
Names
Use and mention
Mill on direct reference
Frege on sense and reference
Russell on descriptions
Kripke on naming
Words and things in linguistics
|
Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 1
(Download book from course
website)
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1.5 Argument Forms: Proving
Invalidity
1.6 Extended Arguments
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4
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Propositions and logic
Propositions
Formal logic
Propositional logic
Predicate logic
Entailment and presupposition
Frege on logical presupposition
Russell on denoting
Strawson on referring
Pragmatic presupposition
Logic and linguistics
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Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 2
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2.1 Varieties of Meaning
2.2 The Intension and Extension of
Terms
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5
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Truth and reality
Truth conditions
Analytic and synthetic sentences
Verification
Truth theories
Possible worlds
Modality
Counterfactuals
Montague Grammar
Linguistic semantics
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Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 3
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2.3 Definitions and Their Purposes
2.4 Definitional Techniques
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6
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Speakers and hearers
Introduction
Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language
Ordinary language philosophy
Speech acts
Performatives
Illocutionary force
Searle on speech acts
Meaning and intention
Conversational implicature
Natural language and logic
The co-operative principle
Flouting the maxims
Pragmatics
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Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 4
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2.5 Criteria for Lexical Defi
nitions
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7
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Language and mind
Signs and structures
Linguistic determinism
Empiricism
Bloomfield
Quine
The Innateness Hypothesis
Anti-nativism
The language faculty
Knowledge and use of language
Empiricist and mentalist linguistics
|
Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 5
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6.1 Symbols and Translation
6.2 Truth Functions
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8
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Language and Mind (Cont)
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Book03-Philosophy For Linguists: An
Introduction-Siobhan Chapman.pdf
Chapter 1
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6.3 Truth Tables for Propositions
6.4 Truth Tables for Arguments
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9
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Mid Term Exam
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10
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Major Philosophers in the
Philosophy of Language – Part 1
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Reading to be confirmed
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6.5 Indirect Truth Tables
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11
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Major Philosophers in the
Philosophy of Language – Part 2
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Reading to be confirmed
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6.6 Argument Forms and Fallacies
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12
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Major Schools of Linguistics – Part 1: Historicism
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Reading to be confirmed
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8.1 Symbols and Translation
8.2 Using the Rules of Inference
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13
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Major Schools of Linguistics – Part 2: Structuralism
Descriptivism
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Reading to be confirmed
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8.3 Change of Quantifier Rule
8.4 Conditional and Indirect Proof
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14
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Major Schools of Linguistics – Part 2: Functionalism
Generativism
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Reading to be confirmed
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8.5 Proving Invalidity
8.6 Relational Predicates and
Overlapping Quantifiers
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15
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Presentations and Exam Revision
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8.7 Identity
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16
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End Term Exam
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Essential Readings:
Book03. Chapman, S. (2000). Philosophy for
Linguistics: an introduction. Routledge.
Bookm04. Hurley,
Patrick. A Concise Introduction to Logic.
Bookm01. Martinich,Aloysius P., ed. The Philosophy of Language. 4th ed. New York, NY:Oxford University Press, 2001. *** (Download)
Bookm02. Kripke,
Saul. Naming and Necessity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1980.
Bookm03. Lycan,
William G. Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction, Routledge,
2008.
Book14. Morris,
M. (2007). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge
University Press. ***
Recommended Readings:
1. Becker, J. C. (2005). A Modern Theory of Language
Evolution. iUniverse. (yet to be sourced)
2. Buhler, K. (1990). Theory
of Language: the representational function of language. (PDF Available - Ask your tutor)
3. Chapman, S. (2000). Philosophy
for Linguistics: an introduction. Routledge.
4. Chapman, S., &
Routledge, C. (2005). Key Thinkers in Linguistics and
the Philosophy of Language. Routledge. (yet to be sourced)
5. Devitt, M., & Hanley, R. (2006). The Blackwell
Guide to the Philosophy of Language. Blackwell Publishing.
6. Devitt, M., & Sterenly, K. (1999). Language and
Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of language. (Second edition).
Blackwell Publishing. (PDF Available - Ask your
tutor)
7. Frajzyngier, Z., Hodges, A., & Rood, S. D. (Eds.),
(2005). Linguistic Diversity and Language Theories. John
Benjamins Publishing Company.
8. Hale, B., & Wright, C. (Eds.), (2003). A Companion to
the Philosophy of Language. Blackwell Publishing.
9. Hornby, J., & Longworth, G. (2006). Reading
Philosophy of Language. Blackwell Publishing.
10. Losonsky, M. (2006). Linguistic Turns in Modern
Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. (yet to be sourced)
11. Mahmoudian, M. (1993). Modern theories of language:
the empirical challenge. Duke University Press. (yet to be sourced)
12. Metthews, H. P. (1993).Grammatical theory in the United
States from Bloomfield to Chomsky. Cambridge University Press.
13. Metthews, P. (2001). A Short History of Structural
Linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
14. Morris, M.
(2007). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge
University Press. ***
15. Subrahmanyam, K. (2008). Theories of Language:
oriental and occidental. D.K Printworld. (yet to be sourced)
16. Weisler, E.S., & Milekic, S. (2000) . Theory of
Language. MIT Press
17.Hurley, Patrick. A Concise Introduction to Logic.
