Print this page Philosophy of Language: From Sanskrit to Society

Every day we use words to share ideas, tell stories and connect with one another. But how does language actually work? Can words tell us the truth about the world? And does the language we speak shape the way we think? In this friendly, discussion-based course, we'll explore some of humanity's greatest ideas about language. We start in ancient India, where scholars of Sanskrit asked what words can really tell us about the world, and in ancient Greece, where teachers called the Sophists studied the art of persuasion and good argument. Next we'll look at metaphor, the everyday word pictures that quietly shape how we understand ourselves and the world. Then we'll meet the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the thinkers who put language at the heart of 20th-century philosophy. We'll finish by looking at how language helps build culture, identity and community. In a city where hundreds of languages are spoken, these questions feel very close to home. Bring your own languages, experiences and curiosity. No background in philosophy is needed, just a love of ideas and good conversation.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face to face
• Online

COURSE OUTLINE

Ancient Greek and Indian Language Theory

• We will begin with Sanskrit and the tradition of Vedas interpretation. Indian scholars and grammarians argue about the veridical knowledge which language can give about the world. In the Greek tradition the Sophists developed a theory of the persuasive nature of rhetoric and the rules of a good argument.

Metaphor & Thought

• All human languages employ metaphor; they serves as the often unconscious foundation of ideas. Many of our interpretations of ourselves and the world are guided by metaphors which map old meanings onto new and explain experience with poetic power to elucidate abstract concepts.

The Linguistic Turn

• In the late 19th and early 20th c interest in language becomes a major concern of philosophy. Wittgenstein introduces many of the enduring ideas of linguistics..

Sociolinguistics and Anthropology

• We will look at a number of theories by linguistic anthropologists on the origins of language. Anthropology leads into sociology and the different approaches to the roll of language in the construction of ‘cultural reality’.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify the main theories of language from the ancient to the postmodern world.
• Discuss the issues involved in questions concerning how language conveys truth; what is the connection between words and things; does language describe reality; and how language connects to thought.
• Be able to identify the different language theories and how they developed in history.
• Be able to discuss the implications of the theories for our current world.