LINGUISTIC PERPLEXITIES:AREFLECTION ON SHAREABLE CONTENTS OFMEANING IN PHILOSOPHYOFLANGUAGE

Abstract

There is an assumption that since words 'have meanings' the constituted linguistic elements of a proposition will be transparently significant and meaningful. But there are subtle linguistic difficulties that characterize the entire spheres of discourse which make the above assumption spurious? It is necessary to question why, more often than not words, concepts and expressions that we usually employ our propositional attitudes do not have those stable meanings that we usually attach to them to signify, symbolize, refer and mean. The study underscores the fact that though language is a field in which interests of most disciplines in the social and human sciences intersect, each of these, more or less, has only preoccupied itself with extolling partial aspects of its communicative functions. The methods of exposition, analysis and critical reflection are employed here. Importantly, it is realized that the meanings words in sentences tend to 'overflow' their usual boundaries in different contexts of usages. But while words of the language that we used to refer, designate, and mean remain quite 'fluid' and nonstatic, meaning is realizable and shareable among discussants.