Imagine that you are hiring a new CEO for your company. You get a letter of recommendation for one of the candidates, Smith. It says only 'Smith has excellent handwriting'. The *literal meaning* of these words only concerns Smith's handwriting. But the letter writing has said much more to you: she has told you that Smith is a bad candidate! How did that happen? How did the letter writer tell you so much more than what her words literally meant? The answer to this question has been the subject of (what I think is) the most exciting area of research in linguistics and philosophy in the last 50 years. In this class, you'll learn to distinguish what our words literally mean from what we say, and how to use your words to say just what you want to say!