Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning

William P. Alston

Published by Cornell University Press 2015

Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning

William P. Alston

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501700422

Overview
Contents

About this book

What is it for a sentence to have a certain meaning? This is the question that William P. Alston addresses in this major contribution to the philosophy of language.

Author / Editor information

The late William P. Alston was Professor Emeritus at Syracuse University. He is the author of many books, including A Realist Conception of Truth, The Reliability of Sense Perception, and Perceiving God, all from Cornell.

Reviews

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University:

Most of us thought the contribution that speech-act theory can make to philosophical reflection had long ago been realized. This book, in which William Alston develops an account of sentence-meaning as grounded in what he calls 'illocutionary act potential,' shows how wrong we were. With superb philosophical craftsmanship and great intellectual imagination, Alston opens up a whole new area for discussion and inquiry. As he has done with several of his other books, Alston will not only shape but create the discussion.

"This is an impressive book. It is clear, vigorously argued, admirably structured, with conclusions about the nature of meaning, which have retained their freshness, interest and relevance for present researchers, not only those working in speech-act theory but for those devoted to the broader topic of meaning-theory." —Mind

This book deserves all the attention it is bound to get.... It will stimulate a lot of discussion and should be read by any serious philosopher of language.

J. L. Austin's How to Do Things with Words was seen by many as a landmark in analytical philosophy... This lucid and comprehensive study provides a valuable starting point for anyone wishing to build on Austin's legacy.

"Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning makes a significant contribution to both speech-act theory and to speech-act semantics. It is exceptionally well organized and the level of discussion and argumentation is high. Part I contains some of the best and most detailed analyses of illocutionary acts since Austin, and Part II fills a large lacuna in the theory of meaning." —Robert M. Harnish, University of Arizona

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. The Nature of Illocutionary Acts
1. The Stratification of Linguistic Behavior Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
2. Perlocutionary Intention Theories of Illocutionary Acts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
3. The Nature of Illocutionary Acts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
4. Types of Illocutionary Acts: Commissives, Exercitives, Directives, and Expressives Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
5. Assertion and Other Assertives: Completing the Account Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
Part II. An Account of the Meaning of Sentences
6. The Problem Of Linguistic Meaning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
7. Illocutionary Act Potential and Illocutionary Rules Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
8. The Status of Illocutionary Rules Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
9. The Ia Potential Theory Of Meaning and Its Alternatives Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275
Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	311
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	315
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	319

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 352
Keywords: Philosophy; Language Arts & Linguistics; Literary Studies

eBook

Published: April 15, 2000
ISBN: 9781501700422