Jonardon Ganeri gives an account of language as essentially a means for the reception of knowledge. The semantic power of a word and its ability to stand for a thing derives from the capacity of understanders to acquire knowledge simply by understanding what is said. Ganeri finds this account in the work of certain Indian philosophers of language, and shows how their analysis can inform and be informed by contemporary philosophical theory.

Jonardon Ganeri is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. He held positions previously at the Universities of London and Stirling.

• Introduction


• 1: The Nature of Language


• 2: Instruments of Knowledge


• 3: Meaning Relata


• 4: The Meaning Relation


• 5: Meaning and Modes of Thought


• 6: Stipulation


• 7: Indexicality


• Bibliography


• Index