Review 'To my mind this is the best introductory textbook for undergraduates looking to get a feel for the subject, without getting bogged down in advanced technical details. Gary Kemp covers all the traditional topics in the field and presents them in an accessible, engaging, and always rigorous style. Appended to each chapter are useful historical notes, a summary, a few questions, and some bibliographical recommendations for further research - a complete set of study aids that ought to be welcomed by students and teachers alike.' - Stefano Predelli, University of Nottingham, UK 'An easy, step by step journey through the classic themes of twentieth-century philosophy of language.' - François Recanati, Institut Jean Nicod, France 'Kemp has written a genuine introduction to the philosophy of language with beginning students in mind. Focusing on the issue of the meaning of natural language, he begins with a naive and, for students, very natural view of linguistic meaning. He then motivates and explains the distinctions, problems, solutions and development of the philosophy of language with the patience and understanding of a master teacher.' - Michael Losonsky, Colorado State University, USA About the Author Gary Kemp is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, UK.
A**R
easy to understand and explains subject matter well
currently using as a studying tool. well written, easy to understand and explains subject matter well, while covering many theories
R**N
A good introduction to philosophy of language
This is an interesting and valiant attempt to overview what is a very complex subject. It is said there is no shallow end in philosophy, and if that is ever true it is definitely applicable to topics like philosophical logic and philosophy of language. This is an introductory guide, and as such seeks to avoid some of the most complex areas of philosophy of language and yet still provide a good appreciation for the subject. Overall I think it achieves this.However, I found the latter half of the book far better than the first half. I thought chapters 6 and 7 were very good. Each chapter also contains a summary which I think the author has put real effort into. It also contains a very good glossary. I was not so convinced by the first few chapters.As with any introductory book, a good question is always "introductory for whom?". If you have done no philosophy or logic prior to reading this, it may be helpful but I suspect it is still going to be a pretty tough read. If you have done lots it will tell you nothing new. On the other hand, it does lay out some parts of philosophy of language I have struggled with, with great clarity. If you fall somewhere between being a complete beginner and someone who has studied this topic before, then it is definitely worth a try.
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