This thesis comprises three main chapters-each comprising one relatively standalone paper. The unifying theme is fragmentalism about truth, which is the view that the predicate 'true' either expresses distinct concepts or expresses distinct properties. In Chapter 1, I provide a formal development of alethic pluralism. Pluralism is the view that there are distinct truth properties associated with distinct domains of subject matter, where a truth property satisfies certain truth-characterizing principles. On behalf of pluralists, I propose an account of logic and semantics that shows how they can answer central conceptual and logical challenges for their view. In Chapter 2, I motivate and develop a modal account of propositions on the basis of an iterative conception of propositions, where the modality is logico-mathematical. The modal account of propositions takes the conception to motivate an inherently potential hierarchy of propositions. I show that the account helps provide satisfying solutions to the intensional paradoxes of Russell-Myhill, Kaplan, and Prior. In Chapter 3, I propose that 'true' is polysemous. I suggest that 'true' is initially polysemous between correspondence truth and disquotational truth, and further polysemous between the meanings corresponding to the subconcepts of the concept truth generated by the indefinite extensibility of that concept. I show that the proposal provides satisfying solutions to the semantic paradoxes.

This paper tries to provide an interpretation of the concept of culture in the work of one of German Enlightenment's most versatile personalities: Johann Gottfried Herder. The emphasis will be placed on this concept within the framework of a new interpretation of the historicity and essence of language as a medium of knowledge, understanding and communication, leading towards an examination of Herder's contribution to the philosophy of language and processuality as the basis of a project of an universal, but immanently historical anthropology. Furthermore, we will introduce Herder's integration of the enlightened rationality and classical metaphysics as expressed in his aesthetics and poetry. We also will reconstruct the foundations and future influence of Herder's linking of universalist humanism with the new awareness of the national and social determination of being. Namely, being as something actively and freely appropriated in an integrated manner that is however not arbitrary. Key words: Herder, Enlightenment, culture, philosophy of language

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This thesis attempts to clarify a particular epistemological problem which surfaces in Chomsky's attempt to attain an objective psychological distance from the language used in his scientific theorizing, in taking language as an epistemological object. This is accomplished by examining the presumed objectivity underlying the theoretical basis of Chomskyan linguistics in its hermeneutical relation to the theories of language advocated by Quine, Wittgenstein, and other philosophers. / The thesis begins by situating the "metalanguage" in which the argumentation between Chomsky and Quine takes place in the Western philosophical tradition. It continues by outlining an historic-hermeneutic link between classical philosophy, early modernism and some twentieth century philosophies of language, most particularly those articulated by Wittgenstein in his two major works. Finally, the thesis concludes by identifying the hermeneutical nature of the philosophical discourse from which Chomsky's linguistics gains its epistemological force.

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It is often supposed that we can make progress understanding singular thought about objects by claiming that thinkers use ‘mental files’. However, the proposal is rarely subject to sustained critical evaluation. This thesis aims to clarify and critique the claim that thinkers use mental files. In my introductory first chapter, I motivate my subsequent discussion by introducing the claim that thinkers deploy modes of presentation in their thought about objects, and lay out some of my assumptions and terminology. In the second chapter, I introduce mental files, responding to the somewhat fragmented files literature by setting out a core account of files, and outlining different ways of implementing the claim that thinkers use mental files. I highlight pressing questions about the synchronic and diachronic individuation conditions for files. In chapters three and four, I explore whether ‘de jure coreference’ can be used to give synchronic individuation conditions on mental files. I explore existing characterisations of de jure coreference before presenting my own, but conclude that de jure coreference does not give a useful account of the synchronic individuation conditions on files. In chapter five, I consider the proposal that thinkers must sometimes trade on the coreference of their mental representations, and argue that we can give synchronic individuation conditions on files in terms of trading on coreference. In chapter six, I bring together the account of files developed so far, compare it to the most developed theory of mental files published to date, and defend my account from the objection that it is circular. In chapter seven, I explore routes for giving diachronic individuation conditions on mental files. In my concluding chapter, I distinguish the core account of files from the idea that the file metaphor should be taken seriously. I suggest that my investigation of the consequences of the core account has shown that the file metaphor is unhelpful, and I outline reasons to exercise caution when using ‘files’ terminology.

The historical development of Morris’ tripartite distinction between syntax, semantics and pragmatics does not follow a smooth path. Examining definitions of the terms ‘semantic’ and ‘pragmatic’ and the phenomena they have been used to describe, provides insight into alternative approaches to the semantics/pragmatics distinction. Paul Grice’s work receives particular attention and taxonomy of philosophical positions, roughly divisible into content minimalist and maximalist groups, is set up. Grice’s often neglected theory of conventional implicature is defended from objections, various tests for the presence of conventional implicature are assessed and the linguistic properties of conventional implicature defined. Once rehabilitated, the theoretical utility of conventional implicature is demonstrated via a case study of the semantic import of the gender and number of pronouns in English. The better-known theory of conversational implicature is also examined and refined. New linguistic tests for such implicatures are devised and the refined theory is applied to scalar terms. A pragmatic approach to scalar implicatures is proposed and shown to fare better than alternatives presented by Uli Sauerland, Stephen Levinson and Gennaro Chierchia. With the details of the theory conversational implicature established, the use made of Grice’s tool in the work of several philosophers is critically evaluated. Kent Bach’s minimalist approach to quantifier domain restriction is examined and criticised. Also, the linguistic evidence for semantic minimalism provided by Herman Cappelen and Ernie Lepore is found wanting. Finally, a content maximalist approach to quantifier domain restriction is proposed. The approach differs from other context maximalist theories, such as Jason Stanley’s, in relying on semantically unarticulated constituents. Stanley’s arguments against such theories are examined. Further applications of the approach are briefly surveyed.

A work of poetry that offers a new method of poetics. By examining translation as a means of understanding relationships, this work offers a nuanced manner for the writing and experience of poetry. When Bird and Fish Fall in Love is a close examination of language, relationships, translation, and the intimacy of conflation.

O estudo teórico da obra de Bakhtin e seu Círculo demanda um aprofundamento em vários contextos: um estudo historiográfico da obra em relação ao contexto russo de sua produção; um estudo comparativo das traduções em que a obra, escrita originariamente em russo, circula e é interpretada no Ocidente; e a busca de uma, entre múltiplas entradas na obra, que nos permita avançar nos seus estudos da linguagem. Neste trabalho, recuperamos fragmentos da construção de uma ciência da linguagem - a Metalingüística -, comparando duas obras de 1929 - Marxismo e Filosofia da Linguagem (Volochinov) e Problemas da obra de Dostoiévski (Bakhtin) - com a segunda edição do livro de Bakhtin sobre Dostoiévski - Problemas da poética de Dostoiévski (1963), onde Bakhtin menciona pela primeira vez, publicamente, essa nova ciência. Essa comparação revelou que já nos livros de 1929, o objeto da Metalingüística - as relações dialógicas e a palavra bivocal - estavam propostos; e que há uma transição de uma Filosofia marxista da linguagem e uma Sociologia da palavra, nos primeiros, para a Metalingüística. Na primeira parte da tese, levantamos alguns aspectos gerais da obra tais como: 1) as relações das fontes primárias com o contexto histórico russo; e 2) alguns problemas de tradução de categorias relacionados com o nosso tema. A segunda parte, trata da evolução do problema do diálogo na própria construção da Metalingüística e de sua orientação filosófica, a partir dos seguintes contextos: a Filosofia marxista da linguagem (Volochinov) em relação com o problema do diálogo; as relações entre a Sociologia da palavra e a Metalingüística; e, por último, as relações da Metalingüística com a Lingüística. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para uma reinserção da Metalingüística nos estudos bakhtinianos atuais, como uma entrada importante para a análise dialógica da linguagem. / The theoretical research of Bakhtin and his circle’s works require an indepth study of various contexts: a historiographical study in relation to the Russian context of its production; a comparative study of translations in which the work, written originally in the Russian language, circulate and is interpreted; and the demand of a context, among the multiple entries in that work, which allowed us to go further in their study of language. In this work, we recover some fragments of Bakhtin’s science of language, that is, Metalinguistics, comparing two works from 1929 - Marxism and Philosophy of Language (Voloshinov) and Problems of Dostoevsky’s Art (Bakhtin) - with the second version of Bakhtin’s book on Dostoevsky - Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics (1963), where for the first time Bakhtin mentions this new science. The comparison reveals that in the 1929’s works the object of Metalinguistics - dialogical relationship and double-voiced word - was already proposed, and that there is a transition from the first two works to the second, from a Marxist philosophy of language and Sociology of words to Metalinguistics. In the first part of the thesis, we show some general aspects of the work such as: 1) the relationships between the primary database and the Russian historical context and 2) some problems of translation of categories related to our theme. The second part, tries to show the evolution of the problem of dialogue in the construction of Metalinguistcs and its philosophical orientation on the following contexts: Marxist philosophy of language related to the problem of dialogue; from the Sociology of words to Metalinguistcs; and, finally, the relationships between Metalinguistics and Linguistics. The results of the research point to a reinsertion of Metalinguistics in Bakhtin’s current studies as an important context for the dialogical analysis of language.