All Outputs (3)

A bundle theory of words (2019)
Journal Article
Miller, J. (2021). A bundle theory of words. Synthese, 198, 5731-5748. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02430-3

It has been a common assumption that words are substances that instantiate or have properties. In this paper, I question the assumption that our ontology of words requires posting substances by outlining a bundle theory of words, wherein words are bu... Read More about A bundle theory of words.

Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds (2019)
Journal Article
Miller, J. (2019). Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds. Journal of Philosophy, 116(9), 494-508. https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil2019116930

The natural name theory, recently discussed by Johnson (2018), is proposed as an explanation of pure quotation where the quoted term(s) refers to a linguistic object such as in the sentence ‘In the above, ‘bank’ is ambiguous’. After outlining the the... Read More about Natural Name Theory and Linguistic Kinds.

On the individuation of words (2019)
Journal Article
Miller, J. (2020). On the individuation of words. Inquiry, 63(8), 875-884. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174x.2018.1562378

The idea that two words can be instances of the same word is a central intuition in our conception of language. This fact underlies many of the claims that we make about how we communicate, and how we understand each other. Given this, irrespective o... Read More about On the individuation of words.