A referential theory of meaning (also called direct reference theory[1] or referential realism)[2] is a theory of language that claims that the meaning of a word or expression lies in what it points out in the world.[3] The word tree may have an exterior meaning from the one always intended , that is , tree can be translated into different form of meaning. The object denoted by a word is called its referent. Criticisms of this position are often associated with Ludwig Wittgenstein.[1]
In the 19th century, mathematician and philosopher Gottlob Frege argued against it, and contrasted it with mediated reference theory.[3] In 1953, with his Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein argued against referentialism, famously saying that "the meaning of a word is its use."[3] Direct reference theory is a position typically associated with logical positivism[3] and analytical philosophy. Logical positivist philosophers in particular have significantly devoted their efforts in countering positions of the like of Wittgenstein's, and they aim at creating a "perfectly descriptive language" purified from ambiguities and confusions.[3]