This accessible introduction to the philosophy of language sees it not as a series of cold technical exercises but as a vital part of that strange Curiosity That Motivates Energetic Philosophical Thinking. For The teacher as well as the student the text delivers material to serve as the central text in its field.; It covers everything one would expect to find in a thorough introduction - including Frege, Russell, logical positivism, Wittgenstein, Quine, Kripke, Fodor, Wright, Grice, Searle, Davidson, Tarski, realism and anti-realism - but it is no mere survey rehashing well worn ideas; rather the issues are thought through from their foundation in an original way by an author whose belief in the importance of language and its relation to philosophy is evident on each page.