LITERAL AND CONVEYED MEANING
Texts
Course-pack
from Student Stores. Some further materials will be handed out in
class.
Recommended:
W.G. Lycan, Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction
(Routledge, 2000). [L]
WGL's office hours
Tuesdays, 2:00 - 4:30 p.m., or by appointment; Caldwell Hall 215B. E mail: ujanel@isis.unc.edu.
Written work
There will
be two short papers (4-5 pages) and one longer one (8-10) during the semester,
due on February 5, March 5, (April 2) and April 23. There will be
some choice of topic.
By law, there
will be a final examination; its weight is negotiable.
Syllabus
January 8: Disparities between literal and conveyed meaning. Literal meaning: main topics. The Referential Theory beaten up. [L, Ch. 1.]
LITERAL MEANING
January 15: Russell’s Theory of Descriptions. The Proposition Theory of meaning. Truth-conditions. Russell, “On Denoting” and “Descriptions.” [L, Ch. 2.].
January 22: “Use” theories of meaning. Waismann, excerpt from The Principles of Linguistic Philosophy; Wittgenstein, excerpts from Philosophical Investigations. [L, Ch. 5.]
January 29: The Verification Theory. Hempel, “Empiricist Criteria of Cognitive Significance: Problems and Changes.” [L, Ch. 6.]
February 5: Davidson’s Truth-Condition theory of meaning. Davidson, “Truth and Meaning”; Lycan, Philosophy of Language, Ch. 9. Paper #1 due.
February 12: The Intensional Truth-Condition theory. [L, Ch. 10.]
CONVEYED MEANING
February 19: Implicature, conversational and conventional. Grice, “Logic and Conversation.” [L, Ch. 13, pp. 188-99.]
February 26: Criticisms of Grice’s account. Davis, Implicature, Ch. 3.
March 5: Further criticisms of Grice. Relevance theory. Carston, Thoughts and Utterances, pp. 94-152. Paper #2 due.
March 19: “Explicature.”
March 26: Performative utterances and illocutionary force. Austin, “Performative Utterances”; selections from How to Do Things with Words. [L, Ch. 12.]
April 2: Indirect force. Searle, “Indirect Speech Acts.” [L, Ch. 13, pp. 199-202.] Alternate long paper due date.
April 16: Metaphor. Davidson’s skeptical view. Davidson, “What Metaphors Mean.” [L, Ch. 14, pp. 208-18.]
April 23: Searle’s theory of metaphor. Searle, “Metaphor.” [L, Ch. 14, pp. 218 22.]
April 30: The Analogical theory. Kittay, selections
from Metaphor: Its Cognitive Force and Linguistic Structure.
[L, Ch. 14, pp. 222-24.] Final paper due.
Final exam, Monday, May 5, 4:00 p.m.
Honor code
The Chancellor has asked faculty to include the following statement in all course syllabi.
I endorse this statement emphatically. Thank you.The Honor Code prohibits lying, cheating or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University, student or academic personnel acting in an official capacity. The Campus Code requires students to conduct themselves in such ways as not to impair the welfare or the educational opportunities of others in the University community. As a UNC student, you have accepted a commitment to the Honor Code and the Campus Code, and the principles of academic integrity, personal honesty, and responsible citizenship on which they were founded more than 100 years ago.
Academic dishonesty in any form is unacceptable, because it circumvents the purpose of the University's life and work. As a faculty member, I have a responsibility to report any possible Honor Code violations to the Student Attorney General. I trust that you will join me in supporting the Honor Code by signing the Honor Pledge on all written work, and by consulting me if you are uncertain about your responsibilities within this course.