β Scribed by Eugene Schlossberger
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
When one directly quotes another's speech, or directly mentions (rather than uses) a word, one has performed a rather curious linguistic feat. For one has, in some sense, designated or referred to a bit of language. However a direct quotation refers to the speech it designates in a manner somewhat different from the way in which ordinary names and ordinary definite descriptions refer to their designata. Similarly, when one mentions rather than uses a word (e.g., " 'Socrates' is a name") one speaks about the word "Socrates." But the inscription "Socrates" does not refer to the word "Socrates" in the same way that the word "Socrates" refers to a certain ancient Greek philosopher. There are, in fact, at least four ways of discoursing about a thing. One can refer to a thing by employing a name for it, a label for it. One can refer to something by describing it. One can introduce a thing into discourse by presenting it. Or one can refer to something by presenting a different token of the same type, which does duty for the thing referred to. This last route to reference, I shall argue, is the route by which direct quotations and direct mentions refer.
Two accounts of the use[mention distinction and of direct quotation have received wide attention. The orthodox account, due to Tarski, is that the term "Socrates" in the sentence " 'Socrates' has eight letters" functions as the name of the name "Socrates." Similarly, the words "it is raining" in the sentence (1)
John said "it is raining" function as the name of a sentence, namely the one pronounced by John (i.e., "it is raining"). 1 John Searle 2 takes issue with this account. According to Searle, one does not name a word or sentence when mentioning or quoting it. Rather, one produces it. Thus the sentence " 'category' has eight letters" is of the form:
(2) This word: category has eight letters
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
Building on research into reported speech and enactments, this study explores a new aspect of quoting by looking at how dance teachers ascribe body movements to students. Whether words or movements are quoted depends on the activity the participants are engaged in and what they aim to accomplish. Wi