Language：A Biological Model

RuthMillikaniswellknownforhavingdevelopedastrikinglyoriginalwayforphilosopherstoseekunderstandingofmindandlanguage,whichsheseesasbiologicalphenomena.Shenowdrawstogetheraseriesofgroundbreakingessayswhichsetoutherapproachtolanguage.Guidingtheworkofmostlinguistsandphilosophersoflanguagetodayistheassumptionthatlanguageisgovernedbyprescriptivenormativerules.Millikanoffersafundamentallydifferentwayofviewingthepartialregularitiesthatlanguagedisplays,comparingthemtobiologicalnormsthatemergefromnaturalselection.Thisyieldsnovelandquiteradicalconsequencesforourunderstandingofthenatureofpubliclinguisticmeaning,theprocessoflanguageunderstanding,howchildrenlearnlanguage,andthesemantics/pragmaticsdistinction.