On Quoting. An Essay on the Ontology of Words

The essay tries to blend diverse strands of thought. First comes a criticism of Quine's view(s) on quotation. This develops, somehow, into an ontology for linguistic items. Out of this, again, grows some more general reflections on the notions of speaker and speaking the same language: the identification of someone as a speaker becomes a central task, and the recognition of someone as speaking is of crucial importance in the acknowledgement that something is said. Running through it all, more as ghost then spirit, is the seam of holism. (H. Johannessen, Universitetet i Trondheim; now at the University of Bergen)