PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE I

This course is included among the educational activities of the degree programme in Philosophy and belongs to the learning area of Theoretical Philosophy. In keeping with the other courses in this area, it pays attention to the fundamental issues in Western philosophical tradition and to their contemporary developments, by investigating linguistic-philosophical subjects and problems that have played a prominent role in the philosophical debates of every age and have become central after the so-called linguistic turn of contemporary philosophy.
The course has the following goals: acquisition of knowledge concerning the main issues in the philosophical reflection on language; acquisition of knowledge concerning the theories developed to explain linguistic facts (and semantic properties in particular); mastery of linguistic-philosophical vocabulary and awareness of its evolution; development of the ability to understand the classics of modern and contemporary philosophy of language by locating them in their historical and theoretical context; improvement of the ability to interpret contemporary debates on linguistic-philosophical topics, also in light of their historical evolution.
Thus, the course contibutes to achieving the educational goals of the degree programme and the learning area both in terms of acquisition of knowledge and in terms of development of abilities and competences. As concerns linguistic-philosophical knowledge, the course contibutes in particular to familiarizing students with the fundamental concepts of this discipline and with the key texts that have marked its contemporary development. As concerns abilities and competences, the course makes it possible to improve: the ability to read and interpret philosophical texts, especially those belonging to the analytic tradition; the ability to analyze and produce arguments to support philosophical claims; and the ability to assess different solutions to philosophical problems by comparing them with one another.

The course focuses on contemporary analytic philosophy of language. Lectures and individual study will provide students with the following knowledge, abilities, and competences:
1) Knowledge and understanding:
- Knowing and mastering the technical terms currently used by philosophers of language.
- Knowing the basic concepts that have been developed by contemporary linguistic-philosophical theories.
- Being informed about the main linguistic-philosophical debates of our times: knowing the main topics of discussion, the main positions in the field, the “turns” that have marked the evolution of linguistic thought in the latest centuries.
- Being directly acquainted with some classics of the contemporary philosophy of language.
2) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- Being able to use linguistic-philosophical vocabulary in a proper manner to correctly describe linguistic facts and to illustrate the theories that have been learned.
- Being able to independently read the classics of the philosophy of language, while at the same time developing a critical approach and sensitivity to the historical and theoretical context.
3) Judgment:
- Being able to argue in favor of or against a given theoretical hypothesis based on a wide set of examples and counterexamples.
- Being able to assess, for every philosophical position considered, both strengths and weaknesses in relation to other positions on the same issue.
- Being able to distinguish the claims made by authors from the arguments used to support such claims, and being able to provide a sound reconstruction of these arguments.

No specific requirements. However, the course requires aptitude for reasoning, rational argumentation, and the use of basic formal tools.

Introduction to the contemporary philosophy of language, with a special focus on the theories of meaning and reference, through the study of authors and texts that mainly belong to the analytic tradition.

J. Locke, "An Essay on Human Understanding", Book 3.
P. Casalegno et al. (a cura di), "Filosofia del linguaggio", Cortina editore: only the texts by Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Kripke, and Putnam.
P.F. Strawson, "On Referring".

Written exam, consisting in answering a list of open questions. The questions are about the contents of the texts in the syllabus (see section “Referral Texts”). The deadline for submitting the paper is 60 minutes. The paper sheets are provided by the teacher. During the exam, it is forbidden to consult information sources of any nature, including electronic devices.
The mandatory readings are the same for all students: no alternative programme is available.
The evaluation of papers mainly considers the following parameters: relevance of the answer to the question; quantity and quality of the information given by the answer; formal features of the answer (clarity, order, etc.).

Grading scale:
A. Scores in the range of 18-22 will be assigned for:
- Sufficient knowledge and understanding of the textbooks and related topics
- Limited ability of analysis and criticism
- Sufficient exposition skills.

B. Scores in the range of 23-26 will be assigned for:
- Fair knowledge of the textbooks and related topics
- Fair ability of analysis and criticism
- Fair exposition skills.

C. Scores in the range of 27-30 will be assigned for:
- Good or very good knowledge of the textbooks and related topics
- Good or very good ability of analysis and criticism
- Good or very good exposition skills.

D. The “laude” will be awarded to students with excellent knowledge and understanding of the textbooks and related topics.

Traditional lectures.
Use of power point.
Analysis of texts and argumentative structures.
Students' interventions and questions are strongly encouraged.