ABSTRACT
This volume investigates the precise contours of the connections between two foundational concepts: reference (the means of semantically expressing singular or object-dependent information) and structure (the having or lacking of meaningful sub-parts). Sullivan shows that the notion of structure, properly excavated, underlies and grounds various important points in the theory of reference. As such, this work builds on and further develops work by Bertrand Russell, Saul Kripke, David Kaplan, and Stephen Neale – principally, among many others.
Sullivan aims to clearly establish the intrinsic connections between structure and reference, which brings into focus informative and explanatory connections underlying otherwise disparate debates about various aspects of linguistic communication. The overall result is a simple, comprehensive lens that can help to clarify a wide range of semantic phenomena.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |5 pages
Introduction
part |1 pages
PART I Framing the Project
chapter 1|7 pages
Two Distinctions Within the Category of Designators
chapter 2|10 pages
Further Defi ning the Central Theses
part |1 pages
PART II Rigid Designation, Proper Names, and Structure
chapter 3|22 pages
Structure and Rigidity
chapter 4|18 pages
Structure and Naming
part |1 pages
PART III The Prima Facie Counterexamples
chapter |3 pages
Interlude: Interim Review and a Look Ahead
chapter 5|18 pages
Referential Uses of Denoting Expressions
chapter 6|18 pages
Complex Referring Expressions
part |1 pages
PART IV Conclusions