NYU PARIS Philosophy of Language - (Inés) Crespo
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NYU PARIS
Philosophy of Language
PHIL-UA 9085
Instruction Mode: Blended (Online & In-Person)
In Paris (on campus, room #406) and via Zoom
SPRING 2021
You may be taking courses at multiple locations this semester. If you are enrolled in this course
100% remotely and are not a Go Local/Study Away student for this course site, please make
sure that you’ve completed the online academic orientation via NYU Classes so you are aware
of site specific support structure, policies and procedures. Please contact the site academic staff
(nyu.paris.academics@nyu.edu) if you have trouble accessing the NYU Classes site.
If you are attending in person, you will be assigned a seat on the first day and are expected to
use that seat for the entire semester due to NYU COVID-19 safety protocol.
Instructor Information
Instructor name and title: Dr Inés Crespo
Instructor office address: NYU Paris Campus. 57, bv. Saint-Germain, 75005 Paris. Staff
room.
Office hours: on Tuesdays from 10h30 to 11h30 in person in room #406 (TBC) or via
Zoom. Just send me an email to set up an appointment. The slot mentioned above is
preferred but not exclusive.
Topic: Philosophy of language @ NYU Paris - Office Hours (Spring 2021)
Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/95972303647
Password: The meeting is password-protected. If you've signed up for the
course, you will get an email with the password.
Meeting ID: 959 7230 3647
Email addresses: inescrespo@gmail.com ; ic40@nyu.edu
Course website: http://inescrespo.altervista.org/nyu.html
Course Information
Course number and section: PHIL-UA 9085
Course Title: Philosophy of language
Course Description: The course provides an introduction to contemporary philosophy of
language, mainly but not exclusively in the analytic strand. The course is taught in a
Page 1seminar, discussion-based style, and offered to undergraduate students. For details
about topics to be covered, see section “Topics and Assignments” below.
Co-requisite or prerequisite, if any: None, but students having taken a first course in
logic or a first course in philosophy will find it valuable for this class.
Class meeting days and times: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9h00 (sharp) till 10h30.
Classroom number and building: NYU Paris Campus. 57, bv Saint-Germain,
75005 Paris. Room #406. You will be notified of the feasibility of in-classroom
meetings. In case this isn't feasible, students in Paris will be invited to come to
office hours every week.
Classroom on Zoom:
Topic: Philosophy of language @ NYU Paris - Classroom (Spring 2021)
Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/91805974911
Password: The meeting is password-protected. If you've signed up for the
course, you will get an email with the password.
Meeting ID: 918 0597 4911
As a sign of respect to all those involved, and to facilitate class interactions , please
arrive in the classroom or in the Zoom meeting by 8h55.
Site specific academic calendar: https://www.nyu.edu/paris/calendar.html#Spring21
Course Overview and Goals
The course will allow students to:
Understand different problems and positions in philosophy of language. See section
“Topics and Assignments” below for details.
Acquire an overview of how topics and positions in philosophy of language relate to
considerations made in linguistics and psychology.
Grasp and analyse the consequences that a view on language and meaning may have
on neighbouring aspects of philosophical reflection, such as metaphysics, epistemology,
and ethics.
Students will develop skills in:
asking philosophical questions,
understanding philosophical texts,
producing and assessing philosophical arguments, from paragraph to essay.
Course Requirements
Class Participation
Students are expected to come to all lectures. Students are expected to read in advance so that
they can meaningfully participate in the discussions in class. Students are expected to actively
participate in class. Meeting this expectations has a significant positive impact on the final
grade.Assignments
There is one non-graded mandatory assignment and three graded homework assignments.
Assignments should be submitted by email as a PDF by the deadline indicated in the Course
Schedule.
All cases of plagiarism will be penalised and reported to the university administration.
Late submissions will be accepted only with justifiable reasons of health or family emergency.
Delays in submission will be penalised: one day of delay means half a letter grade decrease: an
A becomes an A-, an A- becomes a B+, a B+ becomes a B, and so on...
Assignments you fail to submit are graded 0=F.
Homework 0
Simple questions to get to know each other. Answers of 50-100 words are expected.
Homework 1
Book synopsis of 1000 words max. Open questions. Answers of 500 words max. each (not inc.
ref. and fn.) should be given in a few well-constructed paragraphs.
Homework 2
Argumentative essay, 1000 -1200 words (not inc. ref. and fn.).
Opt. Homework
Short essay of around 1500 words (not inc. ref. and fn.).
Homework 3
Short essay of up to 2500 words (not inc. ref. and fn.).
Assigned Readings
Ferenc Karinthy (1970) [2008] Metropole (original title: Epepe), trans. from Hungarian by
George Szirtes, Telegram. A free 14-day loan is available via
https://archive.org/details/metropole0000kari
Markus Kracht (2007): Introduction to Linguistics, LING 20, UCLA. v. Autumn 2007.
http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/mkracht/html/ling-intro.pdf (excerpts).
Plato (360 BCE) [1997]: Complete works. J.M. Cooper (ed.) D.S. Hutchinson (ass.ed.)
C.D.C. Reeve (trans. Cratylus) Hackett Publishing Co, pp. 141-196.
Augustine of Hippo (397-400)[1876]: The Confessions of Saint Augustine, E. B. Pusey
(trans.), Oxford: J. Parker. Excerpts from book I, available online:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3296/3296-h/3296-h.htm
Page 3 Augustine of Hippo (397) [1890]: St. Augustine's City of God and Christian Doctrine, P. Schaff (ed.), New York: The Christian Literature Publishing Co. (Excerpts from Christian Doctrine, books I-II). Also available online: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.html and http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0137/_INDEX.HTM B. Darrel Jackson (1969): The Theory of Signs in St. Augustine's De doctrina christiana, Revue d' Etudes Augustiniennes Et Patristiques, Vol. 15, No. 1-2, pp. 9-50. F. de Saussure (1916) [1959]: Course in general linguistics. C. Bally and A. Sechehaye (eds.), in coll. with A. Reidlinger.. W. Baskin (trans., introduction and notes), New York : McGraw-Hill. Introduction: ch. I-V (pp. 4-23). Part 1: ch. 1-II, pp. 65-78. Part 2: ch. I-IV, pp. 101-122. C. S. Peirce [1991]: Peirce on Signs, Writings on Semiotic by Charles Sanders Peirce, J. Hoopes (ed.), The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill and London (excerpts: On the Nature of Signs; One, Two, Three: Fundamental Categories of Thought and of Nature; Sign). T. L. Short (2007): Peirce's theory of signs, Cambridge University Press, ch. 1 and 2. C. Glymour (2015) Thinking Things Through, An Introduction to Philosophical Issues and Achievements. Second Edition, 2015. A Bradford Book. Part I, ch. 1, pp. 3-22. J. L. Ackrill, ed. (1987): A new Aristotle reader. Princeton University Press. Aristotle's “De Interpretatione” 1-9(35). Glymour (2015), op. cit., part I, ch. 2, pp. 33-55. Glymour (2015), op. cit., part I, ch. 4, pp. 91-109 L.T.F. Gamut. Logic, Language and Meaning, Volume I: Introduction to Logic, University of Chicago Press, 1991. Translation and revision of Logica, taal en betekenis I. Ch.2 (excerpts). Glymour (2015), op. cit., part I, ch. 5, pp. 111-134. G. Frege (1918) [1956]. The Thought: A Logical Inquiry. Mind, New Series, Vol. 65, No. 259, pp. 289-311. G. Frege (1892) [1952]: On sense and reference. In Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege. P. Geach and M Black (eds.) M. Black (trans.) Blackwell Publishing, pp. 56-78. B. Russell (1919) Descriptions. An extract from Chapter XVI of his Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy. London: Allen & Unwin. Reprinted in A.W. Moore, (ed.), Meaning and Reference,Oxford University Press, pp. 46-55. W. V. O. Quine (1975). Mind and verbal dispositions. In S. Guttenplan (ed.), Mind and Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press. Reprinted in A.W. Moore, (ed.), Meaning and Reference, Oxford University Press, pp. 80-91. W. V. O. Quine (1992): Pursuit of Truth. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2003. Ch. III. Meaning. Reprinted in A.P. Martinich (ed.) The philosophy of language. Oxford University Press, 3rd ed. Part VII, ch. 8, pp. 446-455. L. Wittgenstein (1953) [2009]: Philosophical investigations. G.E.M. Anscombe, P.M.S. Hacker, and J. Schulte (trans.) Rev. 4th ed. by P.M.S. Hacker and J. Schulte. §§138- 142: an anti-mentalist argument; §§143-155: what is it to understand the meaning of an utterance?; §§179-202: rules and their application.
Grading of Assignments
The grade for this course will be determined according to the following formula:
Assignments % of Final Grade
No grade for this assignment but
Avg HW#0 submitted
required to stay in the class
Avg HW#1, 2, 3 99.00%
Final grade will be increased by
Excellent participation bonus
half a letter grade
Late submissions will be accepted only with justifiable reasons of health or family emergency.
Assignments you fail to submit are graded 0=F.
Delays in submission will be penalised: one day of delay means half a letter grade decrease: an
A becomes an A-, an A- becomes a B+, a B+ becomes a B, and so on...
A bonus on the final grade—it will be increased by half a letter grade—will be granted to
students who sustain excellent participation in class. This concerns all students, those
attending classes in Paris and those attending via Zoom. Excellent participation cannot be
defined univocally, but its definition in our context comprises at least the following requirements:
class absences or late arrivals in class are properly justified, i.e. no unjustified
absences or late arrivals;
submissions are submitted on time;
mandatory readings are up-to-date;
questions prompted by the course instructor or by a fellow student are relevantly
answered, i.e., answers show that the student is up-to-date with the mandatory readings,
and that the student has been engaged in the previous discussions which have taken
place in class.
Letter Grades
Letter grades for the entire course will be assigned as follows:
Letter Grade Points Description
A 16-20 Outstanding
A- 15 Excellent
Page 5B+ 14 Very Good
B 13 Good
B- 12 Satisfactory
C+ 11 Above Average
C 10 Average
C- 9 Below Average
D+ 8 Unsatisfactory
D 7 Low Pass
D- 6 Low Pass
F 5 Fail
View Grades
Students will be informed of their grades in written form.
Course Schedule
Class meeting days and times: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9h00 (sharp) till 10h30.
Classroom number and building: NYU Paris Campus. 57, bv Saint-Germain,
75005 Paris. Room #406.
Classroom on Zoom:
Topic: Philosophy of language @ NYU Paris (Spring 2021) - Classroom
Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/91805974911
Meeting ID: 918 0597 4911
As a sign of respect to all those involved, and to facilitate interactions in this blended in-person
and online teaching environment, please arrive in the classroom or in the Zoom meeting by
8h55.Topics and Assignments
N.B.: The planning might be updated as we move along. You will receive a notification, should
that happen. Time specifications for assignment submissions should be read in Paris time.
# Assignment
session
Date Topic Reading
Due
Wed 27 Jan 2021 HW#0 by 9h00
Watch The secret history
of writing (2020)
This syllabus and hopefully
1 Thu 28 Jan 2021 Introduction
most of Karinthy (1970)
Watch L'alphabet de Bruly
Bouabré (2004)
2 Tue 2 Feb 2021 A brief intro to linguistics Kracht (2007), excerpts
3 Thu 4 Feb 2021 Discussion of Epepe Karinthy (1970)
Fri 5 Feb 2021 HW#1 by 17h00
Signs: conventionalism
4 Tue 9 Feb 2021 Plato's Cratylus
and naturalism
Read as well
Signs: conventionalism Glymour (2015)
5 Thu 11 Feb 2021 Plato's Cratylus
and naturalism part I, ch. 1 up to
and inc. p. 23.
St Augustine's
Confessions, book I and
6 Tue 16 Feb 2021 Augustine's picture 1 Christian Doctrine, books
I-II, Darrel Jackson (1969)
(opt but recommended)
St Augustine's
Confessions, book I and
7 Thu 18 Feb 2021 Augustine's picture 2 Christian Doctrine, books
I-II; Darrel Jackson (1969)
(opt but recommended)
The arbitrariness of the
8 Tue 23 Feb 2021 FdS (1916), excerpts
sign 1
The arbitrariness of the
9 Thu 25 Feb 2021 FdS (1916), excerpts
sign 2
Peirce [1991]; Short
A more dynamic view of
10 Tue 2 Mar 2021 (2007), ch. 1-2 (opt but
signs 1
recommended)
Peirce [1991]; Short
A more dynamic view of
11 Thu 4 Mar 2021 (2007), ch. 1-2 (opt but
signs 2
recommended)
Page 7Linguistic signs get Kracht (2007), on syntax
12 Tue 9 Mar 2021
articulated in sentences and semantics
13 Thu 11 Mar 2021 Discussion
Watch D'une langue à
l'autre (2004)
Sat 13 Mar 2021 HW#2 by 14h00
Aristotle's De
interpretatione 1-9(35),
14 Tue 16 Mar 2021 Aristotle's De Int
Glymour (2015) part I, ch.
2, pp. 33-55.
Glymour (2015) part I, ch.
15 Thu 18 Mar 2021 Aristotle's syllogistics
2, pp. 33-55.
Gamut (1991), part I, ch. 2
16 Tue 23 Mar 2021 Propositional logic
(excerpts) (TBC)
Glymour (2015) part I, ch.
17 Thu 25 Mar 2021 Frege's logical world 1
5 (TBC)
Glymour (2015) part I, ch.
18 Tue 30 Mar 2021 Frege's logical world 1
5 (TBC)
Watch L'enfant sauvage
(1970)
Optional HW by
Wed 31 Mar 2021
20h
19 Thu 1 Apr 2021 Frege's Thought 1 Frege (1892) (excerpts)
20 Tue 6 Apr 2021 Frege's Thought 2 Frege (1892) (excerpts)
Frege's sense and
21 Thu 8 Apr 2021 Frege (1892) (excerpts)
reference 1
Frege's sense and
22 Tue 13 Apr 2021 Frege (1892) (excerpts)
reference 2
Russellian definite
23 Thu 15 Apr 2021 Russell (1919)
descriptions 1
Russellian definite
24 Tue 20 Apr 2021 Russell (1919)
descriptions 2
Quine's take on meaning
25 Thu 22 Apr 2021 Quine (1975) and (1992)
1
26 Tue 27 Apr 2021 Quine's take 2 Quine (1975) and (1992)
Watch Traduire (2011)
Wed 28 Apr 2021 HW3 by 9h00
Wittgenstein, PI: §§138-
Wittgenstein (1953), Stein
27 Thu 29 Apr 2021 142: an anti-mentalist
(1997)
argument,Wittgenstein, PI: §§143-
155: what is it to Wittgenstein (1953), Stein
28 Tue 4 May 2021
understand the meaning (1997)
of an utterance?
Wittgenstein, PI: §§179-
Wittgenstein (1953), Stein
29 Thu 6 May 2021 202: rules and their
(1997)
application
Course Materials
Required Textbooks & Materials
Novel: Ferenc Karinthy [1970] (2008) Metropole (original title: Epepe), trans. from
Hungarian by George Szirtes, Telegram. A free 14-day loan is available via
https://archive.org/details/metropole0000kari
Reader: available as a PDF on the course website, it might be updated as we move
along. You will receive a notification, should that happen.
Optional Textbooks & Materials
Optional materials will be posted on the course website. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
W. Aspray (1990). Computing Before Computers. Iowa State University Press,
Ames, 1990. Ch. I.
D. Holdcroft (1991): Saussure: Signs, System and Arbitrariness. Cambridge
University Press.
J. Maat (2011): "Language and semiotics." In: The Oxford handbook of
philosophy in early modern Europe, D.M. Clarke and C. Wilson (eds.). Oxford
University Press.
R. A. Markus (1957): St. Augustine on Signs, Phronesis, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 60-83.
W.V.O. Quine (1960): Word and Object. MIT Press. Ch.II. Pp. 26-79.
B. Russell (1905): On denoting. Mind, Vol. 14, No. 56, pp. 479-493
H.P. Stein (1997). The fiber and the fabric. An inquiry into Wittgenstein’s views
on rule- following and linguistic normativity. University of Amsterdam, ILLC
Dissertation Series. Ch. 5.
C. Tornau (2019), Saint Augustine, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL:
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/augustine/, section 5.4.
L. Wittgenstein (1965). The Blue and Brown Books. Harper Perennial.
Resources
NYU Classes (nyu.edu/its/classes)
Page 9 Databases, journal articles, and more: Bobst Library (library.nyu.edu)
Assistance with strengthening your writing: NYU Writing Center (nyu.mywconline.com)
Obtain 24/7 technology assistance: IT Help Desk (nyu.edu/it/servicedesk)
Co-curricular Activities (opt but strongly encouraged)
The secret history of writing (2020): https://youtu.be/B9mmojTDgDg
L'Alphabet de Bruly Bouabré, by N. Aviv (2004).
D'une langue à l'autre, by N. Aviv (2004). A discussion meeting will be proposed
as a non-mandatory activity.
L'enfant sauvage, by F. Truffaut (1970): https://vimeo.com/215596192 -- A
discussion meeting will be proposed as a non-mandatory activity.
Traduire, by N. Aviv (2011). A discussion meeting will be proposed as a non-
mandatory activity.
Course Policies
Hygiene/Physical Distancing policies
Students will be assigned/choose a seat on the first day of class. For NYU COVID-19
Safety protocols, please use the same seat for the duration of the semester.
Attendance and Tardiness
Studying at Global Academic Centers is an academically intensive and immersive experience,
in which students from a wide range of backgrounds exchange ideas in discussion-based
seminars. Learning in such an environment depends on the active participation of all students.
And since classes typically meet once or twice a week, even a single absence can cause a
student to miss a significant portion of a course. To ensure the integrity of this academic
experience, class attendance at the centers or online through NYU Classes if the course is
remote synchronous/blended, is expected promptly when class begins. Unexcused absences
will affect students' semester participation grade. If you have scheduled a remote course
immediately preceding/following an in-person class, you may want to discuss where at the
Academic Center the remote course can be taken. Students are responsible for making up any
work missed due to absence. Repeated absences in a course may result in failure.
Students are responsible for making up any work missed due to absence. This means they
should initiate email and/or office hour discussions to address any missed lectures and
assignments and arrange a timeline for submitting missed work.
Classroom Etiquette/Expectations
Class starts at 9h00 sharp. As a sign of respect to all those involved, and to facilitate
interactions in this blended in-person and online teaching environment, please arrive in
the classroom or in the Zoom meeting by 8h55. No eating in class, regardless of whether you attend the class in Paris or via Zoom.
Leaving class to go to the bathroom without asking permission or yawning in class is
considered rude, regardless of whether you attend the class in Paris or via Zoom.
If you are not using your cell phone to follow the lesson on Zoom, cell phones should be
turned off. Phubbing is completely unacceptable, regardless of whether you attend the
class in Paris or via Zoom.
If you are not using your laptop or tablet to follow the lesson on Zoom, read texts or take
notes, laptops must be turned off. Leisurely use of laptops or tablets is unacceptable.
Students should be respectful and courteous at all times to all participants in class. Make
sure to let your classmates finish speaking before you do.
If you attend the class on campus in Paris, try to speak so that both those in the
classroom and those attending via Zoom can hear you.
If you attend the class via Zoom, please be mindful of your microphone and video
display during class meetings. Ambient noise and some visual images may disrupt class
time for you and your peers.
Late Assignment
Late submissions will be accepted only with justifiable reasons of health or family emergency.
Incomplete Grade Policy
An “incomplete” is a temporary grade that indicates that the student has, for good reason, not
completed all of the course work. This grade is not awarded automatically nor is it guaranteed;
rather, the student must ask the instructor for a grade of “incomplete,” present documented
evidence of illness, an emergency, or other compelling circumstances, and clarify the remaining
course requirements with the instructor.
In order for a grade of “incomplete” to be registered on the transcript, the student must fill out a
form, in collaboration with the course instructor and the academic administration at the site; it
should then be submitted to the site’s academic office. The submitted form must include a
deadline by which the missing work will be completed. This deadline may not be later than the
end of the following semester.
Academic Honesty/Plagiarism
As the University's policy on "Academic Integrity for Students at NYU" states: "At NYU, a
commitment to excellence, fairness, honesty, and respect within and outside the classroom
is essential to maintaining the integrity of our community. By accepting membership in this
community, students take responsibility for demonstrating these values in their own conduct
and for recognizing and supporting these values in others." Students at Global Academic
Centers must follow the University and school policies.
The presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgment, images, or data as though
they were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an act of
plagiarism.
NYU X takes plagiarism very seriously; penalties follow and may exceed those set out by
your home school. All your written work must be submitted as a hard copy AND in
electronic form to the lecturer. Your lecturer may ask you to sign a declaration of authorship
form.
Page 11It is also an offense to submit work for assignments from two different courses that
is substantially the same (be it oral presentations or written work). If there is an overlap of
the subject of your assignment with one that you produced for another course (either in the
current or any previous semester), you MUST inform your professor.
For guidelines on academic honesty, clarification of the definition of plagiarism, examples of
procedures and sanctions, and resources to support proper citation, please see:
NYU Academic Integrity Policies and Guidelines
NYU Library Guides
Religious Observances
Students observing a religious holiday during regularly scheduled class time are entitled to miss
class without any penalty to their grade. This is for the holiday only and does not include the
days of travel that may come before and/or after the holiday.
Students must notify their professor and the local Academics team in writing via email at least 7
days before being absent for this purpose.
Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging and Equity
NYU is committed to building a culture that respects and embraces diversity, inclusion, and
equity, believing that these values – in all their facets – are, as President Andrew Hamilton has
said, “...not only important to cherish for their own sake, but because they are also vital for
advancing knowledge, sparking innovation, and creating sustainable communities.” At NYU
PARIS, we are committed to creating a learning environment that:
• fosters intellectual inquiry, research, and artistic practices that respectfully and rigorously take
account of a wide range of opinions, perspectives, and experiences; and
• promotes an inclusive community in which diversity is valued and every member feels they
have a rightful place, is welcome and respected, and is supported in their endeavours.
Moses Accommodations Statement
Academic accommodations are available for students with documented and registered
disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Student Accessibility (+1 212-998-4980 or
mosescsd@nyu.edu) for further information. Students who are requesting academic
accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the
semester for assistance. Accommodations for this course are managed through the site
sponsoring the class once you request it.
Instructor Bio/About Your Instructor
I am a Global Lecturer at NYU Paris. I am interested in the normative constraints at the basis of
linguistic expression, and in the epistemology of disciplines concerned with natural language.You can also read
