本书在哲学和语言学对明达语言研究的基础上提出了明达语言维度观,认为明达语言是语言、言语和心智的一个不可分的维度。在论证明达语言维度观的同时，作者讨论了两个重要的哲学论题：语言与心智（mind）的关系；语言的不完备性。最后，作者用自己提出的明达语言维度观来考察另一个重要的语言哲学论题：语言和实在的关系。本书理论价值和哲学意义在于提出并论证了明达语言维度观，并对三个重要的语言哲学论题——语言与心智的关系、语言与实在的关系、语言的不完备性——提出了自己新的理论和分析视角。

中文导论

Chapter 1 Introduction

 1．1 Introductory remarks

 1．2 The object of this study

1．2．1 The etymology of ML

1．2．2 The language system

1．2．3 The incompleteness of the previous definitions of ML

1．2．4 The definition of ML for this study

1．2．5 The notions of OL and metalinguality

1．2．6 Some examples of ML phenomena

 1．3 Rationale for the study

 1．4 Objectives of this study

 1．5 Some methodological preliminaries

 1．6 The organization of the dissertation

Chapter 2 Previous approaches to ML

 2．1 The philosophical approach

2．1．1 The reflexivity of language

2．1．2 The didymous relation between ML and OL

 2．2 The linguistic approach

2．2．1 The pervasiveness of ML in language

 2.2.2 Metalinguistic consciousness

 2.2.3 ML's functioning

 2.3 Comments on the previous approaches to ML

 2.3.1  Contributions

 2.3.2 Limitations and inspirations

  2.4 Summary

Chapter 3 The dimension view of ML

  3.1 Introduction

  3.2 The most basic requirement of metalinguality

 3.2.1 Russell's view on linguistic reflexivity

 3.2.2 The most basic requirement of metalingua!ity

  3.3 Metalinguality in language

 3.3.1 Metalinguality in linguistic sounds

 3.3.2 Metalinguality in syntax

 3.3.3 Metalinguality in words

 3.3.4 The metalinguistic power embedded in a linguistic sign

 3.3.5 Summary

  3.4 Metalinguality in speech

 3.4.1 ML use as a dynamic process of metalinguistic operation

 3.4.2 ML use displaying an explicit/implicit scale

 3.4.3 ML use occurring in all language use

 3.4.4 Summary

  3.5 Conclusion: language and speech anchored in metalinguality

  3.5.1 Summary

  3.5.2 Philosophical implications

Chapter 4 Another argument for metalinguality in

       speech: ML's rescuing language from its

       imperfection

  4. 1 Language imperfection

 4. 1.1  Incapacity of language

 4. 1.2 Fallacies, errors and indeterminacy in language

  4. 2 The philosophers' rescue of language from its imperfection

 4. 2. 1 Rescuing imperfect language by Locke

 4. 2.2 Rescuing imperfect language by analytic philosophers

  4.3 ML and self-rescue of language

 4. 3.1  ML as rescuing devices and the Hegelian dialectic

 4. 3.2 ML rescuing the linearity and one-dimension of language

 4. 3.3 ML rescuing the discreteness and contractedness of language

 4. 3.4 ML rescuing the finiteness of language

 4. 3, 5 ML rescuing the indeterminacy of language

 4. 3. 6 ML rescuing the fallacies and errors in language

  4.4 Conclusion: both metalinguality and remediable

    language imperfection as necessary dimensions of

    language

 4. 4. 1  Summary and conclusion

 4. 4. 2 Philosophical implications

Chapter 5 Metalinguality in human mind

  5.1 The notion of mind

  5.2 The controversial issue about mind and language

5.2. 1 The identity view

5.2. 2 The separability view

5.2. 3 The inseparability view

5.2.4 Conclusion

 5.3 Human mind is linguistic (1) : biological arguments

 5.4 Human mind is linguistic (2) : metaphysical arguments

 5.5 Do human beings think in mentalese or natural language?

 5.6 Metalinguistic link between mentalese and NL

 5.6.1  Approximation between mentalese and NL

 5.6.2 Metalinguality linking mentalese and NL

 5.7 How human mind works: metalinguistic operations on NL

 5.7. 1 The workplace hypothesis

 5.7.2 The active-symbol hypothesis

 5.7.3 The active-passive-symbol hypothesis

 5.7.4 Summary

 5.8 Conclusion

 5.8. 1 Metalinguality of human mind

 5.8.2 Philosophical implications

Chapter 6 ML and reality

  6. 1 The notion of reality

  6. 2 ML dimension empowering language to be constructive

 6. 2. 1  What is constructivism?

 6. 2. 2 The constructive power of ML dimension

 6.3 ML and constructive reality

6. 3. 1 Cookie-cutter reality by global ML

6. 3.2 Mangrove-effect reality

6. 3.3 Constructive realities accumulated by local ML

6. 3.4 The thing-in-itself, dimensions of reality and constructive reality

 6.4 Conclusion and philosophical implications

 6.4. 1  Conclusion

 6.4. 2 Philosophical implications of the relationship between language

      and reality

Chapter 7 Conclusion

  7.1 Contributions of the study

  7.2 Theoretical and philosophical implications of the study

  7.3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for future work

Bibliography