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In what sense can statements about languages be true?

Paul Rastall*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 62 - Review of books or of software (or similar publications/items)peer-review

    Abstract

    The article considers descriptive statements about languages and language phenomena and seeks to determine how such statements can be "true". Descriptive statements about languages are considered from the points of view of the correspondence and coherence theories of truth and from the point of view of hypothetico-deductive testing. It is argued that descriptive statements about languages are rationally discussable interpretations disciplined by what we can observe within a given paradigm, and that issues of truth and issues of empirical testing should be distinguished.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)14-25
    JournalOrganon F
    Volume18
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Research Keywords

    • Black box approaches
    • Coherence theory
    • Correspondence theory
    • Descriptive statements
    • Hypothetico-deductivism
    • Interpretation
    • Languages
    • Speech phenomena
    • Theoretical concepts and statements
    • Truth

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