Theory which treats declarative sentences (as against commands and so on) as pictures of facts (if true) or possible facts (otherwise). A notable example of the theory is Tractates (1921) by Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951).
Each element in the sentence (bar certain connectives and so on) stands for something, be it an object or a quality or a relation, and so on; and the connectives and the way the words are put together correspond to the way the objects and qualities and so on are related in the envisaged situation.
The theory is thus a form of correspondence or relational theories of meaning analogous to naming theories of meaning for Singular terms. One objection is that it does not seem to cater for the difference between merely picturing a scene and stating that that scene is part of reality.
Source:
E Daitz, ‘The Picture Theory of Meaning’, Mind (1953); reprinted in A Flew, ed., Essays in Conceptual Analysis (1956)
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation
- 2.2 Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and Their Meanings
- 2.3 Film and Video Editing Theory
- 2.4 Forgeries of Memory and Meaning: Blacks and the Regimes of Race in American Theater and Film before World War II
- 2.5 Reading Shakespeare in the Movies: Non-Adaptations and Their Meaning (Reproducing Shakespeare)
- 2.6 Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (BFI Silver)
- 2.7 Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, New and Enlarged Edition
- 2.8 Using Picture Books to Teach Comprehension Strategies: 30 Lessons That Teach Students the Six Comprehension Strategies They Need to Actively Engage With Text and Read for Meaning
- 2.9 Unfolding Meaning: A Weekend of Dialogue with David Bohm
- 2.10 'No Bull' Music Theory for Guitarists: Master the Essential Knowledge all Guitarists Need to Know (with downloadable audio lessons)
- causal theories of meaning
- correspondence or relational theories of meaning
- use theories of meaning
- ideational theories of meaning
- de facto and de jure theories of meaning
Videos
Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation
- Mitchell, W. J. T. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 462 Pages - 09/01/1995 (Publication Date) - University of Chicago Press (Publisher)
Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and Their Meanings
- Drury, The Very Reverend John (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 220 Pages - 04/01/2002 (Publication Date) - Yale University Press (Publisher)
Film and Video Editing Theory
- Frierson, Michael (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 346 Pages - 04/04/2018 (Publication Date) - Routledge (Publisher)
Forgeries of Memory and Meaning: Blacks and the Regimes of Race in American Theater and Film before World War II
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Robinson, Cedric J. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 454 Pages - 12/17/2007 (Publication Date) - University of North Carolina Press (Publisher)
Reading Shakespeare in the Movies: Non-Adaptations and Their Meaning (Reproducing Shakespeare)
- Hardcover Book
- Mallin, Eric S. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 254 Pages - 11/01/2019 (Publication Date) - Palgrave Macmillan (Publisher)
Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (BFI Silver)
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Wollen, Peter (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages - 05/10/2013 (Publication Date) - British Film Institute (Publisher)
Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, New and Enlarged Edition
- Wollen, Peter (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 176 Pages - 01/22/1973 (Publication Date) - Indiana University Press (Publisher)
Using Picture Books to Teach Comprehension Strategies: 30 Lessons That Teach Students the Six Comprehension Strategies They Need to Actively Engage With Text and Read for Meaning
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Zimny, Joanne (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 144 Pages - 09/01/2008 (Publication Date) - Scholastic Teaching Resources (Teaching Strategies) (Publisher)
Unfolding Meaning: A Weekend of Dialogue with David Bohm
- Factor, Donald and Bohm (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 05/13/1996 (Publication Date) - Routledge (Publisher)
'No Bull' Music Theory for Guitarists: Master the Essential Knowledge all Guitarists Need to Know (with downloadable audio lessons)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Shipway, James (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 109 Pages - 03/11/2019 (Publication Date)
Last update 2020-04-05. Price and product availability may change.