Table Of ContentNew Work on Speech Acts
New Work on
Speech Acts
edited by
Daniel Fogal, Daniel W. Harris,
and Matt Moss
1
3
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Contents
PrefaceandAcknowledgements vii
Contributors ix
1. SpeechActs:TheContemporaryTheoreticalLandscape 1
DanielW.Harris,DanielFogal,andMattMoss
2. Insinuation,CommonGround,andtheConversationalRecord 40
ElisabethCamp
3. Clause-Type,Force,andNormativeJudgmentintheSemantics
ofImperatives 67
NateCharlow
4. ARefinementandDefenseoftheForce/ContentDistinction 99
MitchellS.Green
5. TypesofSpeechActs 123
PeterHanks
6. BlockingasCounter-Speech 144
RaeLangton
7. ExplicitIndirection 165
ErnieLeporeandMatthewStone
8. OnCovertExercitives:SpeechandtheSocialWorld 185
MaryKateMcGowan
9. ForceandConversationalStates 202
SarahE.MurrayandWilliamB.Starr
10. TheSocialLifeofSlurs 237
GeoffNunberg
11. CommitmenttoPriorities 296
PaulPortner
12. SpeechActsinDiscourseContext 317
CraigeRoberts
13. Dogwhistles,PoliticalManipulation,andPhilosophyofLanguage 360
JenniferSaul
14. DynamicPragmatics,StaticSemantics 384
RobertStalnaker
15. ExpressivismbyForce 400
SethYalcin
NameIndex 431
TermIndex 435
Preface and Acknowledgements
Inrecentdecades,speech-acttheoryhascometospanmanydisciplinesthatwould
normally be disconnected. Foundational work in the philosophy of language con-
tinues unabated, but speech acts have also made notable appearances in formal
semantics,pragmatics,sociolinguistics,computerscience,epistemology,moralphi-
losophy, social and political philosophy, feminist theory, gender theory, and the
philosophy of law. What is particularly exciting is that these conversations have
not been entirely siloed: new developments in each area have made their way into
neighboringliteratures,withtheconceptsofspeech-acttheoryservingasvectorsof
intellectualexchange.
Our ambition has been to further this exchange, both by publishing papers that
advance existing literatures and by bringing these literatures together for cross-
pollination.Wehopethatreaderswhohavecometolearnaboutslurs,dogwhistles,
andhatespeechwillstayfordebatesaboutthesemanticsandpragmaticsofimper-
atives and the nature of the force/content distinction, for example. And we hope
that those who have been drawn to the volume for work in formal semantics and
pragmaticswillbeexcitedtofindthattheirworkintersectsagenda-settingworkin,
for example, feminist philosophy. In short, we hope that the volume can provide a
spaceinwhichtobedrawnoutofone’sdisciplinarycomfortzone.
Wehavemadeapairofeditorialchoicesthatbearmentioning.First,wepresent
the papers in alphabetical order by author name, rather than splitting the volume
into thematic sections. Our main reason for this is that—happily—many of the
essays would span the relevant categories. Second, several of the papers deal with
the semantics and pragmatics of slurs, one of whose characteristic features is that
theirderogatoryeffectsarenotcancellableundermentionordirectquotation.There
is consequently disagreement about whether and how their mention should be
minimizedorcircumventedintalksandpublicationsaboutslurs.Wehaveleftitto
ourauthors’discretionwhethertoexplicitlymentionslursoradoptstrategiestoavoid
theirmention,sincetheissueisamatterofsubstantivedebate.
The project of this volume had its start in a conference held September 27–29
2013atColumbiaUniversity,alsonamedNewWorkonSpeechActs.Wethankallthe
participantsandtheaudience,aswellasColumbiaUniversity,CUNY,andCUNY’s
Docotoral Students’ Council for their support in making that event possible. We
oweaspecialdebttotheadministrationoftheColumbiaphilosophydepartment,in
particularStaceyQuartaroandMaiaBernstein,withoutwhoseeffortstheconference
couldnothaveenjoyedthesuccessitdid.Theconferenceextendedourcollaborative
work on the research group we founded together in fall of 2011, the New York
PhilosophyofLanguageWorkshop.Thatwefeltinspiredtoorganizetheconference
wasdueinlargeparttotheworkshop’sspeakers,attendees,andsupporters,whomade
itthesuccessitcontinuestobe.
viii preface and acknowledgements
Forsuggestingthatweeditthisvolume,andforagreatdealoffurtherguidance,we
thankPeterMomtchiloff.TwoanonymousrefereesforOxfordUniversityPressgave
usveryusefulsuggestionsthatledustoaddseveralpapers.LeahFortganghelpedus
withtheindexandwithproofreading.ElmarUnnsteinssongaveususefulfeedback
onourintroductoryessay.
Contributors
Elisabeth Camp,RutgersUniversity
Nate Charlow,UniversityofToronto
Mitchell S. Green,UniversityofConnecticut
Peter Hanks,UniversityofMinnesota
Rae Langton,UniversityofCambridge
Ernie Lepore,RutgersUniversity
Mary Kate McGowan,WellesleyCollege
Sarah E. Murray,CornellUniversity
Geoff Nunberg,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley
Paul Portner,GeorgetownUniversity
Craige Roberts,OhioStateUniversity
Jennifer Saul,UniversityofSheffield
Robert Stalnaker,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
William B. Starr,CornellUniversity
Matthew Stone,RutgersUniversity
Seth Yalcin,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley
