The Game of Language: Studies in Game-Theoretical Semantics and Its Applications (Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy, 22)

Since the first chapter of this book presents an intro­ duction to the present state of game-theoretical semantics (GTS), there is no point in giving a briefer survey here. Instead, it may be helpful to indicate what this volume attempts to do. The first chapter gives a short intro­ duction to GTS and a survey of what is has accomplished. Chapter 2 puts the enterprise of GTS into new philo­ sophical perspective by relating its basic ideas to Kant's phi losophy of mathematics, space, and time. Chapters 3-6 are samples of GTS's accomplishments in understanding different kinds of semantical phenomena, mostly in natural languages. Beyond presenting results, some of these chapters also have other aims. Chapter 3 relates GTS to an interesting line of logical and foundational studies - the so-called functional interpretations - while chapter 4 leads to certain important methodological theses. Chapter 7 marks an application of GTS in a more philo­ sophical direction by criticizing the Frege-Russell thesis that words like "is" are multiply ambiguous. This leads in turn to a criticism of recent logical languages (logical notation), which since Frege have been based on the ambi­ guity thesis, and also to certain methodological sug­ gestions. In chapter 8, GTS is shown to have important implications for our understanding of Aristotle's doctrine of categories, while chapter 9 continues my earlier criticism of Chomsky's generative approach to linguistic theorizing. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Game-Theoretical Semantics: Insights and Prospects....Pages 1-31 Semantical Games and Transcendental Arguments....Pages 33-46 Semantical Games, Subgames, and Functional Interpretations....Pages 47-76 Any Problems — No Problems....Pages 77-111 Temporal Discourse and Semantical Games....Pages 113-136 Definite Descriptions in Game-Theoretical Semantics....Pages 137-160 “Is”, Semantical Games, and Semantical Relativity....Pages 161-200 Semantical Games and Aristotelian Categories....Pages 201-229 On The Any -Thesis and the Methodology of Linguistics....Pages 231-257 Theories of Truth and Learnable Languages....Pages 259-292 Back Matter....Pages 293-343 Jaakko Hintikka In Collaboration With Jack Kulas. Includes Indexes. Bibliography: P. 293-320.