Words and Meaning in Metasemantics

Juan Colomina Almiñana’s book, Words and Meaning in Metasemantics: Grounds for an Interactive Theory, introduces a new theory of meaning in linguistic expressions: The Interactive Theory. According to this theory, the cognitive content of words and sentences depends on three essential elements: the speaker’s intentions, the audience’s uptake, and the linguistic conventions. This combination is novel and explains linguistic meaning and behavior better than other prevailing approaches. What is noteworthy in Colomina Almiñana’s approach is its commitment to the mutual influence of language, thought, and culture. This feature makes his theory more extensive and philosophically more interesting than conventional semantic theories. -- Antti Hautamäki, professor emeritus, University of Jyväskylä Juan José Colomina-Almiñana proposes an original ‘metasemantic’ view that combines a lucid and well-formulated account of the classical theories and controversies with a successful bid for a new ‘Interactive Theory,’ taking the problems out of the orbit of many linguistic and philosophical discussions and into the language use (or ‘languaging’) of human speakers in society. The book’s approach is thus essentially pragmatic in the modern sense, not just by its willful disregard of any formal-descriptive methods, with their basically set theory-bound visions, but also for its intelligent and often entertaining discussions of old chestnuts such as the ‘donkey anaphora,’ ‘compositionality,’ and ‘common ground,’ to name a few. I found the author’s take on these old, often somewhat stale topics invigorating and enlightening. Here, as elsewhere, Juan José Colomina-Almiñana shows his talent for an analysis which systematically combines new and classic views. This work is strongly recommended reading for anyone interested in an up-to-date view of the main problems in current philosophies of language, with a new approach to some of its worst conundrums. -- Jacob L. Mey, professor emeritus, Southern Denmark University