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Language use is a central element of our conscious lives, and people have probably always wondered: why do only people talk? Philosophers of Language have been joined by others in the modern multi-disciplinary investigation of human language. Scientists have begun the process of determining the unique properties of the human brain that make human language possible. Can philosophical and scientific investigations of language be united and unified?

This is the Philosophy and Science of Language wiki, a wiki where you can explore human language. Feel free to contribute to this collaborative effort (See: Contributor Guidelines). Are you new to wiki? If you are new to this wiki, you can take a guided tour of three key pages of the Philosophy and Science of Language wiki.

Visit the Language Journal.

Welcome
This wiki is devoted to the Philosophy and Science of Language.

This wiki started on June 28, 2005. Feel free to contribute content and organization. Outline of topics in the Philosophy and Science of Language. There is a list of current projects for this wiki.

Description of this wiki
Human language behavior is one of the defining characteristics of our species. Distinct traditions for investigating language have been developed by philosophers and scientists. The Language Wikia will attempt to find useful connections between philosophical and scientific approaches to the study of human language. The main language used in the Language Wikia will be English.

Additional Information
For the past five years there has been an active discussion group called "Philosophy and Science of Language". Initially, the Language Wiki will draw upon members of this discussion group for new wiki users who will contribute content to the Language Wiki. Discussions of the Philosophy and Science of Language group have covered many topics, and there is a need for a website that can serve as a place to summarize the topics that have been and will be discussed. This initial activity will form a core of content which should attract additional contributors, eventually leading to a vibrant community effort to explore all aspects of human language in a wiki environment. There is also a newer Wittgenstein discussion group.

Mission statement
Historically, the study of human language has relied on observations of human language behavior, introspection, formal systems approaches (logic, computer science) and biological studies of how the brain makes language possible. The Language Wikia will strive to bring together a community of amateur and professional philosophers and scientists who will make use of the wiki as a resource for multidisciplinary study of language.

Aims
Compile descriptions and summaries of the important existing ideas from past studies of language. Attempt to find connections between the views of language that exist within the various sub disciplines that study aspects of human language. Promote a broad enthusiasm for the study of past explorations and creation of future explorations of human language.

Motto
I propose the motto of this wikicity to be: "A wrong conception of the way language functions destroys, of course, the *whole* of logic and everything that goes with it, and doesn’t just create some local disturbance. (_Philosophical Remarks_ by Ludwig Wittgenstein, section III, No. 20)Parrwitt.

A wrong conception of the way language functions destroys, of course, the *whole* of logic and everything that goes with it, and doesn’t just create some local disturbance. -Philosophical Remarks by Ludwig Wittgenstein, section III, No. 20