PHIL 222 - Philosophy of Language

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2018/19b. Speech Act Theory. This is a course on the variety of actions we perform with language. We request, quiz, command, promise, thank, apologize, complain, describe, and insult. We enact laws and enter into contracts, we marry and we name people, places, and things — all with words. Speech act theory is our guiding thread as we explore the many philosophical and empirical problems raised both by linguistic meaning itself, and by the place of linguistic meaning in a broader account of human agency and society. Some of these questions include: What role do a speaker’s intentions play in communication? How are our communicative intentions related to the meanings of the words we use? What types of speech act are there, and how can we best explain their existence, nature, and diversity? How should we theorize about speech acts like questions or commands, which seem to accomplish something fundamentally different than assertions do? What is it for a statement or be literal? To be sarcastic? To be metaphorical? We also explore connections with social and political philosophy and queer studies, where speech act theory has been put to use to characterize the mechanisms of hate speech, to advocate against pornography, and to give a performative analysis of gender. Matthew Moss.

Two 75-minute periods.