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Author: Ludwig Wittgenstein Brief Synopsis: This text outlines Wittgenstein's picture theory of language, which posits that thoughts are logical pictures of facts and that the structure of language mirrors the structure of reality.

Author: Willard Van Orman Quine Brief Synopsis: In 'Word and Object', Quine discusses the indeterminacy of translation and rejects the analytic-synthetic distinction, challenging traditional views on meaning.

Author: Saul Kripke Brief Synopsis: This book revolutionized the philosophy of language by introducing new ideas about necessity and contingency in relation to proper names and natural kind terms, thereby challenging descriptivist theories of naming.

Author: John Searle Brief Synopsis: Searle's work builds on J.L. Austin's theory of speech acts, categorizing them and exploring their significance in communicative acts.

Author: Gottlob Frege Brief Synopsis: This essay distinguishes between the 'sense' (Sinn) and 'reference' (Bedeutung) of a sign, contributing crucial ideas to the debate on the meaning of names and the problems of intension and extension.

Author: George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Brief Synopsis: This book argues that metaphor is at the heart of how we understand the world and ourselves, revealing how our conceptual system is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.

Author: Nelson Goodman Brief Synopsis: Goodman explores the symbolic languages used in art, proposing a theory of symbols that are syntactically, semantically, and pragmatically dense.

Author: John Searle Brief Synopsis: In this book, Searle contributes to the debate on proper names begun by Russel and Kripke, defending a more traditional theory rooted in descriptivism.

Author: Jacques Derrida Brief Synopsis: The book introduces Derrida's concept of deconstruction, which became a central tenet of post-structuralism, challenging structuralist conceptions of language and meaning.

Author: Bertrand Russell Brief Synopsis: Russell's essay is central to the philosophy of language and logical atomism, and introduces his theory of descriptions, which aims to resolve problems associated with empty or non-referring expressions.

Author: H.P. Grice Brief Synopsis: In this book, Grice advances the theory of implicature, presenting how what is suggested in an utterance can often be more significant than its literal meaning.

Author: Rudolf Carnap Brief Synopsis: Carnap offers a formal language that excludes metaphysical statements as meaningless and introduces the principle of logical syntax as the sole necessity in constructing a language system.

Author: Ludwig Wittgenstein Brief Synopsis: This book represents Wittgenstein's later philosophy, where he criticizes the ideas he presented in 'Tractatus', especially the notion of language as a rigid system that represents reality.

Author: H.P. Grice Brief Synopsis: This book collects Grice's influential lectures and papers on language, including his theories on conversational implicature, the cooperative principle, and maxims of conversation.

Author: J.L. Austin Brief Synopsis: Austin's groundbreaking book where he puts forward the concept of speech acts, which do not merely describe a situation but rather perform an action by the very act of speaking.

Author: C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards Brief Synopsis: This work is a study in the influence of language on thought and the science of symbolism. It investigates the relation between words and their referents and the concept of meaning.

Author: John Searle Brief Synopsis: Searle extends his earlier work on speech acts to explore the relationship between literal and non-literal language and the roles of intention and convention in communication.

Author: Hilary Putnam Brief Synopsis: Putnam discusses the philosophy of language and metaphysics, proposing a direct reference theory and challenging philosophical skepticism.

Author: P.F. Strawson Brief Synopsis: This text is an examination of Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'. Strawson argues that much of Kant's metaphysics can be detached from his epistemology, which remains valuable.

Author: Richard Rorty Brief Synopsis: Rorty advocates for a liberal society where people are free to create their own vocabularies. He challenges the traditional pursuit of objective truth in favor of a more contingent understanding of knowledge.

Author: A.J. Ayer Brief Synopsis: A core text of logical positivism, asserting that meaningful statements are either empirically verifiable or analytic, thus dismissing metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics as literal nonsense.

Author: Noam Chomsky Brief Synopsis: Chomsky delves into the nature and origins of language, supporting his theory of universal grammar and arguing that the capacity to learn language is innate to humans.

Author: Ludwig Wittgenstein Brief Synopsis: These works offer insights into Wittgenstein's transitional thoughts on the philosophy of language, as he moves from the ideas of the 'Tractatus' to those developed in 'Philosophical Investigations'.

Author: Noam Chomsky Brief Synopsis: Chomsky's work underlies modern linguistics and has significant intersections with philosophy of language. He posits an innate language faculty and introduces the idea of universal grammar.