Metasemantics comprises new work on the philosophical foundations of linguistic semantics, by a diverse group of established and emerging experts in the philosophy of language, metaphysics, and the theory of content. The science of semantics aspires to systematically specify the meanings of linguistic expressions in context. The paradigmatic metasemantic question is accordingly: what more basic or fundamental features of the world metaphysically determine these semantic facts? Efforts to answer this question inevitably raise others. Where are the boundaries of semantics? What is the essence of the meaning relation? Which framework should we use for semantic theorizing? What are the intrinsic natures of semantic values? Are the semantic facts metaphysically determinate? What is semantic competence? Metasemantic inquiry has long been recognized as a central part of the philosophy of language, but recent developments in metaphysics and semantics itself now allow us to approach these classic questions with an unprecedented degree of precision. The essays collected here provide promising new perspectives on old problems, pose questions that suggest novel research projects, and taken together, greatly sharpen our understanding of linguistic representation.

About the Author
Alexis Burgess is an assistant professor of philosophy at Stanford University. He works mainly at the intersection of metaphysics and the philosophy of language. His articles have appeared in journals like Linguistics and Philosophy, Nous, and The Australasian Journal of Philosophy. With John P. Burgess, he is co-author of Truth (Princeton University Press). ; Brett Sherman is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Rochester. His research centers on problems in the philosophy of language and epistemology.

Reviews
Metasemantics is a valuable addition to the literature in philosophy of language and linguistics ... It should be clear from these summaries that this is a wide ranging and extremely interesting collection that reflects many current trends in philosophical theorising about language, notably attention to developments in formal semantics ... It clearly shows the continued relevance of semantic and metasemantic issues to metaphysics, metaethics, and other areas of philosophy, as well as the intrinsic interest of various metasemantic questions. I look forward to seeing the new wave of metasemantic theorising that is likely to follow. * Derek Ball, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *
Their work is among the best by early-to-mid-career philosophers of language working today. * Daniel W. Harris, Australasian Journal of Philosophy. *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199669592
Author Alexis Burgess
Format Hardback
Page Count 378
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 730g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 163mm * 28mm