On Denoting

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Running head: ON DENOTING 1

On Denoting

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

ON DENOTING 2

On Denoting

Part A

When he talks about denoting phrase being described by the virtue of their form, Russell

is talking about those phrases that are semantically complex enough to stand on their own as the

core grammatical subjects of any sentence. This explanation, however, would have been quite

difficult without the use of examples. For example, the definition has some paradigm examples,

including both definite and indefinite descriptions. When one says “the tallest boy,” the form of

this phrase suffice to fulfilling the features of a subject in a sentence. This is a definite

description since it singles out one specific subject. By the virtue of the “form” of being able to

stand on its own without losing its grammatical relevance, this phrase qualifies to be regarded as

a denoting phrase.

Another example would be a phrase like “some boy.” Here, while the phrase still has a

form that qualifies it to be a denoting phrase, it is founded on an indefinite element as there can

be many different boys. For a faster and more in-depth understanding of the line of reasoning

that Russell embraces when talking about “form,” one should examine the manner in which he

explains that phrases do not necessary need to feature a denotation for them to qualify as

denoting phrases. For example, a phrase like “the smallest fraction” makes perfect sense through

the lens of Russell’s denoting phrases, even though logically they may never be a fraction that

can be the smallest.

Considering these examples, it is possible to understand that denoting phrases do not

necessarily view the constituents in their singular forms. Russell emphatically refuses to accept

that every phrase has at least two sense or meanings. He does not believe in this, and he actually

conflicts with such other scholars as Frege by pointing out that such distinct aspects are

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Running head: ON DENOTING 1 On Denoting Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation ON DENOTING 2 On Denoting Part A When he talks about denoting phrase being described by the virtue of their form, Russell is talking about those phrases that are semantically complex enough to stand on their own as the core grammatical subjects of any sentence. This explanation, however, would have been quite difficult without the use of examples. For example, the definition has some paradigm examples, including both definite and indefinite descriptions. When one says “the tallest boy,” the form of this phrase suffice to fulfilling the features of a subject in a sentence. This is a definite description since it singles out one specific subject. By the virtue of the “form” of being able to stand on its own without losing its grammatical relevance, this phrase qualifies to be regarded as a denoting phrase. Another example would be a phrase like “some boy.” Here, while the phrase still has a form that qualifies it to be a denoting phrase, it is founded on an indefinite element as there can be many different boys. For a faster and more in-depth understanding of the line of reasoning that Russell embraces when talking about “form,” one should examine the manner in which he explains that phrases do not necessary need to feature a denotation for them to qualify as denoting phrases. For example, a phrase like “the smallest fraction” makes perfect sense through the lens of Russ ...
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