How to Understand Language (A Philosophical Inquiry)

Why are philosophers, as opposed to, say, linguists and psychologists, puzzled by language? How should we attempt to shed philosophical light on the phenomenon of language? How to Understand Language frames a discussion in light of these two questions and begins by thinking about the reasons that language is hard to understand from a philosophical point of view. After finding fault with approaches based on philosophical analysis and on translation, Bernhard Weiss undertakes an extended investigation of the program of constructing a theory of meaning and emphasizes the importance of use as fundamental in semantic theorizing.

An ambitious work that endorses a broad approach, it argues strongly against the roles both of truth theory and of radical interpretation. Weiss discusses a range of relevant themes relating to language, including translation, interpretation, normativity, community, and rules in order to reshape our understanding of language.

A rigorous and systematic analysis, How to Understand Language advances the work of key thinkers in the area.