Basics of Pragmatics II

performatives

the saying of the words constitutes an action; no truth-value

conventional performatives

have to abide by all 4 conditions:

1. existence of a conventional procedure, which had a certain conventional effect

2. appropriateness of persons and circumstances

3. correct execution of procedure

4. complete execution of procedure

locutionary act

phonetic act, phatic act, rhetic act

phonetic act

producing sound waves

phatic act

constructing sentences

rhetic act

referring to the world

illocutionary act

what is done with the words, e.g. performing an apology

perlocutionary act

what is achieved with the illocutionary act, e.g. achieving forgiveness

perlocutionary object

achieving perlocution that is in line with the intention

perlocutionary sequel

unintended result on the hearer’s side

utterance act

uttering words

propositional act

referring and predicating

structure of utterance

proposition + function indicating device

structure of proposition

predication + reference

predication

factual content of an utterance

reference

referring expressions (the ants, Sam, she, etc.)

function indicating devices

e.g. performative verbs, word-order, stress patterns, intonation, etc. (or no explicit marking of illocutionary force)

Searle’s five macro-classes of illocutionary acts

• assertives

• directives

• commissives

• expressives

• declarations

assertives

assert, claim, state, predict, describe

directives

order, ask, command, request

commissives

promise, vow, pledge

expressives

thank, welcome, congratulate, apologize

declarations

appoint, declare, excommunicate, resign

major ways in which speech acts may vary

• direction of fit

• psychological state expressed

• point or purpose of the utterance

regulative rules

type of rule for speech act, conditions on the occurrence of behavior

constitutive rules

type of rules for speech act, define the behavior itself

types of constitutive rules

• propositional content rule

• preparatory rule

• sincerity rule

• essential rule

propositional content rule

predication of a future act A of S

preparatory rule

• S must promise something of which he is convinced that H wants it to be done

• S must not promise something which he is expected to do anyway

• S must be able to perform A

sincerity rule

S must intend to perform the action he promises

essential rule

uttering of the words counts as the undertaking of an obligation to perform the action

felicity conditions

speech acts are only felicitous if the constitutive rules are adhered to by speakers