ABSTRACT

Originally published in 1990, this book centres on a certain way of surveying a variety of theories of language, and on outlining a new proposal of meaning within the framework set by the survey. One of the key features of both survey and proposal is the insistence on the need to locate theories of language within a large framework that includes questions about the nature of thought and about general ontological questions as well. The book deals in an interconnected way with both very general and specific issues. At one end of this spectrum there are discussions of the contrast between realist and nominalist ontologies, while at the other are analyses of specific lexical items of English.

part 1|126 pages

Problems

chapter I|43 pages

Ontology

chapter II|46 pages

Thought

chapter III|35 pages

Language

part II|143 pages

Proposals

chapter IV|38 pages

Ontology

chapter V|48 pages

Thought

chapter VI|50 pages

Language

chapter |5 pages

Concluding Postscript