The issue of language's authority -- The question's centrality -- Plato's recourse to nonlinguistic forms -- Aquinas and the primacy of mental truth -- The Tractatus : precise thought versus imprecise language -- Carnap's limited linguistic turn -- Tarski, truth, and claims of linguistic incoherence -- Wittgenstein's acceptance of the authority of language -- Wittgenstein versus theoretical "intuitions" -- Flew and paradigm-case arguments -- Russell's critique of "common sense" -- Malcolm and the "ordinary language" debate -- Austin, statements, and their truth -- A lead overlooked : from meaning to truth -- Kripke, Putnam, and rigid designation -- Quine, linguistic truths, and holistic theory -- Quine, indeterminacy, and the opacity of language -- Rorty, Stich, and pragmatic assertability -- Habermas, communicative speech, and validity -- Past, present, and future : an overview.