Seminar
Week 2
Text:Quine, Word and Object, ch. 2 – ‘Translation and Meaning’
Quine’s main claim in this chapter is:
Outline of Quine’s argument for this claim:
Practice Exam Question:
Are there objective facts about meanings?
Answer:
Definitions of key terms:
Summary of the argument:
Group 1
Examine carefully §§7–8 ‘First Steps of Radical Translation’ and ‘Stimulation and Stimulus Meaning’.
What is Quine’s thesis of the indeterminacy of translation?
How does Quine understand ‘language’ for the purposes of his thesis?
What is the task of the linguist?
What is radical translation?
What prompts the native’s assent to ‘Gavagai?’?
Group 2
Examine carefully §§9–10 ‘Occasion Sentences. Intrusive Information’ and ‘Observation Sentences’.
What is the distinction between an occasion sentence and a standing sentence?
Is sameness of stimulus meaning sufficient for synonymy?
Can the intuitive concept of meaning be explained in terms of stimulus meaning?
What is an observation sentence?
Group 3
Examine carefully §§11–12 ‘Intrasubjective Synonymy of Occasion Sentences’ and ‘Synonymy of Terms’.
What is stimulus synonymy?
Is stimulus synonymy sufficient for synonymy?
Is the co-extensiveness of two terms sufficient for the stimulus synonymy of the two terms?
Is the co-extensiveness of two terms necessary for the stimulus synonymy of the two terms?
When is a sentence stimulus-analytic?
Group 1
Examine carefully §14 ‘Translating Logical Connectives’.
What are truth functions?
How does the radical translator go about discovering the logical connectives in the native’s language?
Why must fair translation preserve logical laws?
What is the maxim of translation guiding the radical translator?
What are tautologies?
Group 2
Examine carefully §§14–15 ‘Synonymous and Analytic Sentences’ and ‘Analytical Hypotheses’
What is the distinction between broad synonymy and narrow synonymy?
How do Grice and Strawson characterise synonymy?
What is Quine’s objection to Grice and Strawson’s proposal?
What is Quine’s objection to the analytic/synthetic distinction?
What is an analytical hypothesis?
What is the method of analytical hypotheses?
Can synonymy be defined in terms of the method of analytical hypotheses?
Group 3
Examine carefully §16 ‘On Failure to Perceive the Indeterminacy’
Is it objective whether the native means rabbit rather than undetached rabbit part by his utterance of ‘Gavagai’?
What are the seven causes of failure to perceive the indeterminacy of translation?
Is the indeterminacy of translation merely a form of under-determination of theory of by data?
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