The Use-Mention Distinction
Gems from this week’s philosophy of language homework:
Turn the following into truths by adding single quotation marks, where appropriate. (Starts easy, gets harder.)
- Oslo is in Czechoslovakia.
- English is English but French is not French.
- Boring is boring and short is short, but long is not short.
- Love is always a verb in the books we love and a noun in our love of books, but in love letters it looks like an adjective.
- To use to use to mention to mention is a mistaken use of to use, not to mention to mention.
- Although Jack, where John had had had had, had had had, had had had had the teacher’s approval.
I also feel compelled to mention that my sociology professor showed the Numa Numa video in class today, as an example of cross-cultural exchange and “rip/mix/burn culture.”
(I learn serious things too. Honest.)