Original scientific paper

Referentially Used Descriptions: A Reply to Devitt

Kent Bach ; San Francisco State University

Abstract

This paper continues an ongoing debate between Michael Devitt and me on referential uses of definite descriptions. He has argued that definite descriptions have referential meanings, and I have argued that they do not. Having previously rebutted the view that referential uses are akin
to particularized conversational implicatures, he now he rebuts the view that they are akin to generalized conversational implicatures. I agree that
the GCI is not the best model, but I maintain that in exploiting the quantificational meaning of definite descriptions, referential uses involve
a different sort of pragmatic regularity. Also, I try to bolster my objection to Devitt’s claim that the word ‘the’ is semantically ambiguous.

Keywords

Attributive uses; definite descriptions; demonstratives; implicatures; referential uses; Russell

Hrčak ID:

93210

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/93210

Publication date:

30.10.2007.

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