Language Turned on Itself The Semantics and Pragmatics of Metalinguistic Discourse

Language Turned on Itself examines what happens when language becomes self-reflexive; when language is used to talk about language. Those who think, talk and write about language are compulsive users of various metalinguistic devices, but reliance on these devices begins early: kids are told, 'That's called a "rabbit"'. It's not implausible that a primitive capacity for the meta-linguistic kicks in at the beginning stages of language acquisition. But no matter when or how frequently these devices are invoked, one thing is clear: they present theorists of language with a complex data pattern. Herman Cappelen and Ernest Lepore argue that the study of these devices and patterns is not only interesting, but also carries important consequences for other parts of philosophy. The primary goal of this book is not to promote one theory over another. Rather, it is to present a deeply puzzling set of problems and explain their significance for other areas of philosophy. Cappelen and Lepore introduce an important, but sometimes neglected, part of the philosophy of language. Part I is devoted to presenting data about various aspects of our metalinguistic practices. In part II, the authors examine and reject the four leading metalinguistic theories, and present a new account of our use of quotation in a variety of different contexts.

Herman Cappelen is Arche Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews.
Ernie Lepore is Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University