Intentionality and Language (II):
Some Remarks on Tomasello, Searle, and Denett
Keywords:
Intentionality, Verbal language, Tomasello, Searle, DennettAbstract
In the present paper we propose that the concept of intentionality is a relevant tool to interpret human symbolic
repertoires. We analyze how the concepts of intentionality and verbal language are articulated in Tomasello’s Usage-Based
Theory of Language Acquisition, Searle’s Illocutionary Acts Theory, and Dennett’s Intentional Systems Theory, seeking to
identify their role on determining human cognition. These theories suggest interdependence between these concepts, which
differ among themselves as to how this relation is articulated. They also emphasize the importance of symbolic repertoires,
especially verbal language, to human cognition. As intentionality is a feature of human cognition, a link between verbal language
and intentionality for the functioning of human cognition is a topic to be investigated in scientific psychology.
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