Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds

MILLER, JTM

Abstract

The natural name theory, recently discussed by Johnson (2018), is proposed as an explanation of pure quotation where the quoted term(s) refers to a linguistic object such as in the sentence ‘In the above, ‘bank’ is ambiguous’. After outlining the theory, I raise a problem for the natural name theory. I argue that positing a resemblance relation between the name and the linguistic object it names does not allow us to rule out cases where the natural name fails to resemble the linguistic object it names. I argue that to avoid this problem, we can combine the natural name theory with a type-realist metaphysics of language, and hold that the name is natural because the name is an instance of the kind that it names. I conclude by reflecting on the importance of the metaphysics of language for questions in the philosophy of language.

Citation

MILLER, J. (2019). Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds. Journal of Philosophy, 116(9), 494-508. https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil2019116930

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 29, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Sep 1, 2019
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Oct 13, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 2, 2020
• Journal: The Journal of Philosophy
• Print ISSN: 0022-362X
• Electronic ISSN: 1939-8549
• Publisher: Journal of Philosophy
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 116
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 494-508
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil2019116930
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2722388
• Publisher URL: https://www.pdcnet.org/jphil/content/jphil_2019_0116_0009_0494_0508
• Additional Information: This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds, J.T.M. Miller, Journal of Philosophy, v. 116, issue 9, pp. 494-508, which has been published in final form at https://www.pdcnet.org/jphil/content/jphil_2019_0116_0009_0494_0508. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes only.
• Contract Date: Oct 13, 2019