The Meaning of Meaning - A Study of the Influence of Language Upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism (Broché)

The authors state this premise boldly in their preface to The Meaning of Meaning, a classic work whose significance—and challenge - to the study of language, literature, and philosophy has remained undiminished since its original publication. Much about language continues to be only hazily understood, distorted by our habitual attitude - often one of indifference - toward words, or by lingering assumptions based on discredited theories.
What is the relationship between words and what the words refer to ? Between words and the very way we think ? Can understanding such matters lead to greater precision in communication ? Readers considering these questions find themselves at the crossroads of linguistics and communications theory, of literary criticism and philosophy - an interdisciplinary nexus claimed by the increasingly influential field of semiotics - and The Meaning of Meaning will prove, as it has over the last six decades, an essential resource.
In his introduction Umberto Eco, eminent novelist and, not coincidentally, semiotician, provides a fascinating perspective on this pioneering work that continues to disturb intellectual complacency and provoke thought and discussion.