This collection of classic and contemporary essays in philosophy of language offers a concise introduction to the field for students in graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses. It contains some of the most important basic sources in philosophy of language, including a number of classic essays by philosophers such as Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Grice, Davidson, Strawson, Austin, and Putnam, as well as more recent contributions by scholars including John McDowell, Stephen Neale, Ruth Millikan, Stephen Schiffer, Paul Horwich, and Anthony Brueckner, among others, who are on the leading edge of innovation in this increasingly influential area of philosophy. The result is a lively mix of readings, together with the editors' discussions of the material, which provides a rigorous introduction to the subject.

Contributions by: J L. Austin, Anthony Brueckner, Noam Chomsky, Donald Davidson, Keith Donnellan, Michael Dummett, Gareth Evans, Gottlob Frege, H P. Grice, Paul Horwich, David Kaplan, Saul Kripke, David Lewis, John McDowell, Michael McKinsey, Ruth Millikan, Stephen Neale, Hilary Putnam, W V. Quine, Bertrand Russell, Nathan Salmon, Stephen Schiffer, John Searle, P F. Strawson, Alfred Tarski, Ludwig Wittgenstein