PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
(PHIL 425, Sec. 1001)
    Reading Assignments

    (Readings from the Stainton anthology, Perspectives in the Philosophy of Language, are listed by article author, title, followed by "PPL" and either chapter number or "pp." followed by page numbers, inside parentheses. Readings from the Kemp textbook are listed by his name and the chapter number. Online readings are listed by author and title and labled "online". They are available via WebCampus-Canvas in the Readings Module)

  • For Aug. 26: Read Nagel, "The Meaning of Words," Chapter 5 from What Does It All Mean? (online). Then read Kemp, "Introduction" (pp. 1-14). For an introduction to or refresher on the basic ideas and notation of symbolic logic, read Alex Miller's "Frege: Semantic Value and Reference" (online).
  • For Aug. 31: Read Austin, "Performative Utterances" (PPL 11), then read Austin, "Lecture VIII" from How to Do Things with Words (online) and Kemp, Ch. 9 (skip the sections on Presupposition and Metaphor on pp. 166-170).
  • For Sep. 2: Re-read Austin, "Lecture VIII" from How to Do Things with Words (online) and pp. 157-162 of Kemp, Ch. 9. Then read Kukla, "Performative Force, Convention, and Discursive Injustice" (online).
  • For Sep. 7: No class! [Labor Day]
  • For Sep. 9: Read Grice, "Logic and Conversation" (PPL 13) and re-read pp. 162-166 of Kemp, Ch. 9.
  • For Sep. 14: Re-read Grice, "Logic and Conversation" (PPL 13). Then read Grice, "Meaning" (PPL 6).
  • For Sep. 16: Catch up on / review the material assigned so far.
  • For Sep. 21: *New reading* Skiba, "Artificial Speech Acts" (online). Then read Kemp, Chapter 1 and Elbourne, "Definitions" and "What are Word Meanings?" (online).
  • For Sep. 23: Re-read Grice, "Meaning" (PPL 6) [Optional Reading: Searle, "What is a Speech Act?" (PPL 12)].
  • For Sep. 28: Re-read Kemp, Chapter 1 and Elbourne, "Definitions" and "What are Word Meanings?" (online). Then read Wittgenstein, "Remarks 1-33" and "Remarks 65-87" from Philosophical Investigations (online). Finally, read pp. 93-98 of Kemp, Chapter 5.
  • For Sep. 30: Read Frege, "Ueber Sinn und Bedeutung (On Sense and Reference)" (PPL 2), then read pp. 29-36 and 41-42 of Kemp, Chapter 2.
  • For Oct. 5: Read Frege, "The Thought: A Logical Inquiry" (online). Then read pp. 36-41 and 43-50 of Kemp, Chapter 2. Hopefully you have also checked out the topics for the First Paper, which is due Wednesday 10/14. And check out my Paper Requirements and Policies and my Numbered Writing Comments Sheet to familiarize yourself with writing glitches you should avoid.
  • For Oct. 7: Read Russell, "On Denoting" (online).
  • For Oct. 12: Read Russell, "Descriptions" (PPL 3). Then read Kemp, Chapter 3.
  • For Oct. 14: Read pp. 71-94 of Kripke, "Lecture II" from Naming and Necessity (online). First Paper due before midnight! Submit it to Turnitin.com via the link in the Assignments area of WebCampus-Canvas.
  • For Oct. 19: Finish Kripke, "Lecture II" from Naming and Necessity (online). Then read Kemp, Ch. 7.
  • For Oct. 21: Read Putnam, "Meaning and Reference" (online) and Kemp, Chapter 8 (pp. 139-146(top), 148(bottom)-150).
  • For Oct. 26: Re-read the material assigned for 10/21. Then read Chomsky, "Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use" (PPL 1) and Kemp, Ch. 12 (pp. 212-216, 223-228). [The rest of Ch. 12 is optional for people who want to learn more details about Chomskian linguistics.]
  • For Oct. 28: Re-read the Chomsky, then read Ibbotson and Tomasello, "Evidence Rebuts Chomsky's Theory of Language Learning" from Scientific American (online).
Last updated October 21, 2026

This site is maintained by James A. Woodbridge.

This document was created on August 17, 2026.