This volume provides a survey of contemporary philosophy of language, as well as providing a synoptic view of the key issues, figures, concepts and debates, each essay makes new and original contributions to ongoing debate.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Notes on Contributors
• PART I MEANING AND THEORIES OF MEANING
• 1 Meaning and truth conditions: from Frege's grand design to Davidson's - DAVID WIGGINS
• 2 Meaning, use, verification - JOHN SKORUPSKI
• 3 Intention and convention - ANITA AVRAMIDES
• 4 Pragmatics - CHARLES TRAVIS
• 5 A Guide to naturalizing semantics - BARRY LOEWER
• 6 Meaning and Privacy - EDWARD CRAIG
• 7 Tacit Knowledge - ALEXANDER MILLER
• 8 Radical interpretation - JANE HEAL
• 9 Propositional attitudes - MARK RICHARD
• 10 Holism - CHRISTOPHER PEACOCKE
• 11 Metaphor - RICHARD MORAN
• PART II LANGUAGE, TRUTH AND REALITY
• 12 Realism and its oppositions - BOB HALE
• 13 Theories of truth - RALPH C. S. WALKER
• 14 Analyticity - PAUL ARTIN BOGHOSSIAN
• 15 Rule-following, objectivity and meaning - BOB HALE
• 16 The indeterminacy of translation - CRISPIN WRIGHT
• 17 Putnam's model-theoretic argument against metaphysical realism - BOB HALE AND CRISPIN WRIGHT
• 18 Sorites - R. M. SAINSBURY AND TIMOTHY WILLIAMSON
• PART III REFERENCE, IDENTITY AND NECESSITY
• 19 Modality - BOB HALE
• 20 Essentialism - GRAEME FORBES
• 21 Reference and necessity - ROBERT STALNAKER
• 22 Names and rigid designation - JASON STANLEY
• 23 Indexicals and demonstratives - JOHN PERRY
• 24 Objects and criteria of identity - E. J. LOWE
• 25 Relative identity - HAROLD NOONAN
• Glossary