Unlike many anthologies, this is not a mere collection of seminal works in the recent history of the field, but rather a collection of contemporary essays written with the professed purpose of introducing students and scholars to the field. Each of the original essays provides both a critical history of the fundamental concepts central to the philosophy of language and a pointed analysis of the issues involved from the contributor's own point of view. The result is a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in either the history of the discipline or the state of the contemporary debate.