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Selected Works

Robert J. Stainton

Selected Works

Articles 1 - 30 of 36

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Slurs And Register: A Case Study In Meaning Pluralism, Justina Diaz-Legaspe, Chang Liu, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2018

Slurs And Register: A Case Study In Meaning Pluralism, Justina Diaz-Legaspe, Chang Liu, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

Most theories of slurs fall into one of two families: those which understand slurring terms to involve special descriptive/informational content (however conveyed), and those which understand them to encode special emotive/expressive content. Our view is that both offer essential insights, but that part of what sets slurs apart is use-theoretic content. In particular, we urge that slurring words belong at the intersection of a number of categories in a sociolinguistic register taxonomy, one that usually includes [+slang] and [+vulgar] and always includes [-polite] and [+derogatory]. Thus, e.g., what distinguishes ‘Chinese’ from ‘chink’ is neither a peculiar sort of descriptive nor …

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Introduction To Discourse, Structure And Linguistic Choice By T. Price Caldwell, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2017

Introduction To Discourse, Structure And Linguistic Choice By T. Price Caldwell, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Two Questions About Interpretive Effects, Robert J. Stainton, Christopher Viger Dec 2017

Two Questions About Interpretive Effects, Robert J. Stainton, Christopher Viger

Robert J. Stainton

We discuss central themes in Lepore and Stone's Imagination and Convention. We begin by laying out their view, and then pose both empirical and methodological criticisms.

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Logical Form And The Vernacular Revisited, Andrew Botterell, Robert J. Stainton Aug 2017

Logical Form And The Vernacular Revisited, Andrew Botterell, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

We revisit a debate initiated some fifteen years ago by Ray Elugardo and Robert Stainton about the domain of arguments. Our main result is that arguments are not exclusively sets of linguistic expressions. Instead, as we put it, some non-linguistic items have ‘logical form’. The crucial examples are arguments, both deductive and inductive, made with unembedded words and phrases.

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Full-On Stating, Robert J. Stainton Aug 2016

Full-On Stating, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

What distinguishes full-on stating a proposition from merely communicating it? For instance, what distinguishes claiming/asserting/saying that one has never smoked crack cocaine from merely implying/conveying/hinting this? The enormous literature on ‘assertion’ provides many approaches to distinguishing stating from, say, asking and commanding: only the former aims at truth; only the former expresses one’s belief; etc. But this leaves my question unanswered, since in merely communicating a proposition one also aims at truth, expresses a belief, etc.
My aim is not to criticize extant accounts of the state-vs.-merely-convey contrast, but rather to draw on clues from Dummett, functional linguistics and moral …

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Cuasi Factivos, Axel Barcelo Aspeitia, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2015

Cuasi Factivos, Axel Barcelo Aspeitia, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

We introduce a construction which we label 'quasi-factive'. They are heard like factives, in that we immediately take the complement to be true. Yet they aren't really factive at all. Examples include: 'It's not widely known that Marta was born in Canada' (because she was born in Uruguay); 'Don't tell anyone that Carlos will run as a candidate' (because he won't); 'Did it bother Jane that Miguel came?' (no, because Miguel didn't come). We identify sub-categories of our quasi-factives, and then tentatively explore a pragmatic explanation of how they work their magic.

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Brevity, By Laurence Goldstein, Monica Mcmillan, Robert J. Stainton Nov 2014

Brevity, By Laurence Goldstein, Monica Mcmillan, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Philosophy Of Linguistics, Robert J. Stainton Jun 2014

Philosophy Of Linguistics, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

Rather than attempting to survey the rich array of topics within Philosophy of Linguistics, this article focuses on two questions: “What kind of thing is Linguistics about?” and “What is the proper evidence-base for Linguistics?” After describing various exclusionary answers, it argues for Pluralism on both fronts: the objects of study in Linguistics are metaphysical hybrids, with physical, mental, abstract and social facets; and evidence from every domain should in principle be welcomed.

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La Psicología De La Justificación, Angeles Erana, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2012

La Psicología De La Justificación, Angeles Erana, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

This essay considers the connections between, on the one hand, two kinds of justification, namely pragmatic and alethic, and on the other hand two cognitive systems, S1 and S2.

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Herder And Pragmatics, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2012

Herder And Pragmatics, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Introduction To The Semantics-Pragmatics Boundary In Philosophy, Maite Ezdurdia, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2011

Introduction To The Semantics-Pragmatics Boundary In Philosophy, Maite Ezdurdia, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

An introductory survey of the nature and importance of the semantics-pragmatics boundary.

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In Defense Of Public Languages, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2011

In Defense Of Public Languages, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

My modest aim in this note is to sketch three interrelated critiques of public languages, and to respond to them. All allegedly support the same conclusion: that, insofar as they even exist, the study of public languages is not a viable scientific project. (Related critiques of semantics, understood as involving word-world relations, will be touched on as well.)

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Terminological Reflections Of An Enlightened Contextualist, Robert J. Stainton Feb 2010

Terminological Reflections Of An Enlightened Contextualist, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Really Intriguing, That Pred Np!, Ileana Paul, Robert Stainton Feb 2010

Really Intriguing, That Pred Np!, Ileana Paul, Robert Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Pragmatic Impairments, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2009

Pragmatic Impairments, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

This review essay addresses the question, "What, properly speaking, is a pragmatic impairment?" Drawing on work from two recent books, it presents three possible answers, and evaluates them.

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An Essay On Names And Truth, By Wolfram Hinzen, Ileana Paul, Robert J. Stainton Mar 2009

An Essay On Names And Truth, By Wolfram Hinzen, Ileana Paul, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Hegel's Philosophy Of Language, By Jim Vernon, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2008

Hegel's Philosophy Of Language, By Jim Vernon, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Perry, Wittgenstein's Builders And Metasemantics, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2008

Perry, Wittgenstein's Builders And Metasemantics, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

The paper discusses in detail John Perry’s important article “Davidson’s Sentences and Wittgenstein’s Builders”. Perry argues, on the basis of Wittgenstein’s famous block/slab language, that words make direct metasemantic contact with the world. The present paper urges that, while Perry’s conclusions are correct and important, the arguments provided for them, in his 1994 article, ignore essential features of genuine words in natural language. A more empirically-oriented alternative tactic for supporting the same philosophical conclusions is then provided, and its advantages and disadvantages are weighed.

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Pragmatic Abilities In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study In Philosophy And The Empirical, Jessica De Villiers, Robert J. Stainton, Peter Szatmari Dec 2006

Pragmatic Abilities In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study In Philosophy And The Empirical, Jessica De Villiers, Robert J. Stainton, Peter Szatmari

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Insensitive Semantics, By Herman Cappelen & Ernie Lepore, Robert J. Stainton, Catherine Wearing Feb 2006

Insensitive Semantics, By Herman Cappelen & Ernie Lepore, Robert J. Stainton, Catherine Wearing

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Meaning And Reference: Some Chomskian Themes, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2005

Meaning And Reference: Some Chomskian Themes, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Really Intriguing, That Prednp!, Ileana Paul, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2005

Really Intriguing, That Prednp!, Ileana Paul, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Neither Fragments Nor Ellipsis, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2005

Neither Fragments Nor Ellipsis, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Grice, Herbert Paul (1913-88), Robert J. Stainton Dec 2004

Grice, Herbert Paul (1913-88), Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Metaphysics, Substitution Salva Veritate And The Slingshot Argument, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2004

Metaphysics, Substitution Salva Veritate And The Slingshot Argument, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

An introduction to the "slingshot" argument in philosophy of language and metaphysics

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Objects, Properties, And Functions, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2004

Objects, Properties, And Functions, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

Objects are contrasted with properties, by means of examples, non-linguistic hallmarks, and linguistic correspondents. Hard cases of objects which are in some respects akin to properties are considered, but the idea that properties simply are another kind of object is rejected. Finally, properties are seen to be interchangeable with a certain kind of function.

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Shorthand, Syntactic Ellipsis, And The Pragmatic Determinants Of What Is Said, Reinaldo Elugardo, Robert J. Stainton Aug 2004

Shorthand, Syntactic Ellipsis, And The Pragmatic Determinants Of What Is Said, Reinaldo Elugardo, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

Our first aim in this paper is to respond to four novel objections in Jason Stanley's 'Context and Logical Form'. Taken together, those objections attempt to debunk our prior claims that one can perform a genuine speech act by using a sub‐sentential expression—where by 'sub‐sentential expression' we mean an ordinary word or phrase, not embedded in any larger syntactic structure. Our second aim is to make it plausible that, pace Stanley, there really are pragmatic determinants of the literal truth‐conditional content of speech acts. We hope to achieve this second aim precisely by defending the genuineness of sub‐sentential speech acts. …

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Speaker Meaning And Davidson On Metaphor, Robert J. Stainton Dec 2002

Speaker Meaning And Davidson On Metaphor, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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Logical Form And The Vernacular, Reinaldo Elugardo, Robert J. Stainton Aug 2001

Logical Form And The Vernacular, Reinaldo Elugardo, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

Vernacularism is the view that logical forms are fundamentally assigned to natural language expressions, and are only derivatively assigned to anything else, e.g., propositions, mental representations, expressions of symbolic logic, etc. In this paper, we argue that Vernacularism is not as plausible as it first appears because of non-sentential speech. More specifically, there are argument-premises, meant by speakers of non-sentences, for which no natural language paraphrase is readily available in the language used by the speaker and the hearer. The speaker can intend this proposition and the hearer can recover it (and its logical form). Since they cannot, by hypothesis, …

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Holisme Et Homophonie, Madeleine Arseneault, Robert J. Stainton Dec 1999

Holisme Et Homophonie, Madeleine Arseneault, Robert J. Stainton

Robert J. Stainton

No abstract provided.

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