The Metaphysics of Linguistics – Prof. James Miller (Durham University)

Event details

Are words concrete objects, like rocks, or abstract, like mathematical functions? Recent research on the metaphysics of words has addressed this question using metaphysical tools to investigate the nature of words. In this talk, I reposition that work as part of the broader project of the metaphysics of linguistics. This approach takes as its target the metaphysical assumptions and commitments underlying linguistic theorising, echoing the broader 'metaphysics of science' approach popular in recent years. In this talk, I will illustrate some ways that metaphysical analysis can illuminate issues in contemporary linguistic theorising, and argue that through the metaphysics of linguistics, we can bring philosophy and linguistics together to pull apart the building blocks of language, strengthening interdisciplinary research into the nature of language.