Linguistic Philosophy of Language

Description

This work draws out the philosophical implications of European functionalist linguistics. It contains an account of human linguistic capacities through considering the role of languages in overall semiotic behavior and the nature of our models of Language and of languages. It is particularly concerned with the nature of linguistically conveyed messages and their role in consciousness and with the methods for their understanding. The implications are related to an emergent anthropocentric philosophy and to metaphysics, epistemology in the wider sense, the philosophy of science and ethics. There is a special consideration of the limitations on human understanding which are due to the nature of our linguistic communication and our methods of analysis. Accordingly, the work presents a synthetic overview of European functionalist linguistics following Saussure, Hjelmslev, Benveniste, Martinet and Mulder. That linguistic tradition is closely related to the philosophical ideas of Kant, Herder, Cassirer and Popper and to the neurological work of Geschwind, Granit, and Eccles. Particular emphases are laid on the purposive nature of linguistic behavior; the culturally determined nature of linguistic conventions; and the important distinctions between speech, languages and Language as a general human capacity or the intension of the class of languages.