Triangulation and meaning; the role of "It" in Quine's theory of meaning

Abstract

This paper is part of a larger research whose objective is to determine the role of the non-linguistic element in the conformation of the linguistic meaning. In this case we propose to analyze the role that element plays in the semantics of W.V. Quine. As Davidson points out, the role of this element in Quine's work is ambiguous; plays a particular role in the description of language learning and a different role in determining the meaning of the expressions. The aim of this article is to give arguments in favor of the thesis that despite the role that Quine attributes to the object as a construct, it cannot dispense with appealing to a non-linguistic instance that plays a determining role in the construction of meaning. The thesis that we intend to maintain is that even though Quine intends to dispense with this element through the appeal to patterns of stimulation as the ultimate source of meaning, his claim is infuriating and has no way of avoiding a shared objective instance as a determinant of meaning.