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Metaphilosophical metamorphoses of analytic philosophy of language

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Published/Copyright: March 4, 2021

Abstract

The paper begins with an account of the emergence of analytic philosophy of language in the twentieth century in the context of the development of logic and the linguistic turn. Subsequently, it describes two examples of analytic philosophy of language in its heyday when the discipline was conceived as first philosophy. Finally, it provides, by way of conclusion, a succinct outline of the current state of philosophy of language, marked by modesty and fragmentation. It is claimed that even if one retains optimism about the prospects of philosophy of language in the first century of the new millennium, it would be unreasonable to disagree with the opinion that the present-day philosophy of language is a highly specialized and diversified discipline and no longer so central for philosophical enterprise as it used to be.


Corresponding author: Tadeusz Szubka, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland, E-mail:

Acknowledgements

I appreciate this opportunity for contributing a paper for the special issue of Semiotica devoted to the late Professor Jerzy Pelc who did so much for the advancement of semiotic studies and philosophy of language in Poland and abroad. An earlier version of the paper was presented as a plenary lecture during the Sixth International Conference on Philosophy of Language and Linguistics, PhiLang 2019, at the University of Lodz, 10–12 May 2019. I am very grateful to Professor Piotr Stalmaszczyk for the invitation and stimulating comments from him and the audience.

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Received: 2021-01-26
Accepted: 2021-02-06
Published Online: 2021-03-04
Published in Print: 2021-05-26

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