Review of What is this thing called philosophy of language?, by Gary Kemp

Abstract

The review of What is this thing called philosophy of language? (Routledge, 2024), by Gary Kemp, presents the work as a philosophical and pedagogical manual that systematizes key debates in the philosophy of language. The expository path reconstructs the discipline’s trajectory, beginning with the seminal theories of G. Frege, B. Russell, and L. Wittgenstein, and continuing through the perspectives of W. Quine, S. Kripke, and D. Davidson. The book’s structure juxtaposes the field’s historical evolution with its more recent branches, including an in‑depth examination of pragmatics, covering J. Austin, H. Grice, and J. Searle, as well as Chomskyan linguistics. The third edition reviewed in the text is distinguished by its update, incorporating sections on contemporary directions in the philosophy of language. Debates on assertion, fictional objects, inferentialism, pejorative terms, and experimental philosophy are highlighted. The review positions the manual as a fundamental resource for understanding the issues that define the philosophy of language today.