A formal semantics for Wittgenstein's builder language

Wittgenstein's builder language is commonly taken to motivate a skepticism about systematic semantic theorizing. This paper argues that such skepticism goes too far. I show that the example admits a simple compositional analysis that accommodates demonstratives, gestures, and directive utterances without undermining the emphasis on use that motivates it. The analysis does not compete with Wittgenstein’s philosophical aims, but helps to clarify the scope and limits of the lessons his example supports.