b. 1943
Kent Bach is a contemporary analytic philosopher known for his work in philosophy of language, epistemology, and the theory of speech acts. He has made significant contributions to the semantics/pragmatics distinction, defending a view he calls 'semantic minimalism' combined with a rich account of pragmatic enrichment. His work on propositional attitudes and singular terms has also been influential in debates about mental content and reference.
Developed the concept of 'impliciture' to distinguish pragmatic enrichment from Gricean implicature
Advanced a deflationary account of propositional content in natural language semantics
Co-authored foundational work on the theory of speech acts with Robert Harnish
Argued for a distinction between what is said and what is communicated in linguistic contexts
Contributed to debates on singular thought, empty names, and propositional existence across possible worlds