PHIL 405 - Philosophy of Language

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Staff. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 005/505 or permission of instructor. In this course, we will ask how language works. How do speakers use sounds and shapes to make claims, promises, and threats How do words and sentences connect to the world: what makes a word refer to an object or property, and what determines when a sentence is true or false And how to speakers exploit conventional linguistic meaning for alternative ends, as in metaphor and sarcasm We will apprach these questions by reading classic texts by Frege, Russell, Austin, Grice, Searle, Kripke, Quine, Davidson, and others; but we will also apply these readings to actual, everyday linguistic contexts. Some comfort with basic first-order predicate logic will be required, but no previous experience with formal logic is assumed: I will explain all the relevant symbolism in class.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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