Using Language: The Structures of Speech Acts

889 Pages·1985·8.25 MB·English

by  John T. Kearns

Using Language : The Structures of Speech
title:
Acts SUNY Series in Philosophy
author: Kearns, John T.
publisher: State University of New York Press
isbn10 | asin: 0873958098
print isbn13: 9780873958097
ebook isbn13: 9780585061474
language: English
subject Speech acts (Linguistics)
publication date: 1984
lcc: P95.55.K42 1984eb
ddc: 401/.9
subject: Speech acts (Linguistics)
Page i
Using Language
The Structures of Speech Acts
Page ii
SUNY Series in Philosophy
Robert C. Neville, Editor
Page iii
Using Language
The Structures of Speech Acts
John T. Kearns
State University of New York, Buffalo
State University of New York Press Albany
Page iv
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1984 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information, address State University of New York
Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Kearns, John T., 1936
Using language.
1. Speech acts (Linguistics) I. Title.
P95.55.K42 1984 401'.9 83-14491
ISBN 0-87395-808-1
ISBN 0-87395-809-8 (pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Page v
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction
1. A Speech-Act Theory 1
2. The More General Framework 2
3. The Plan of the Book 3
4. Some Other Views 4
Chapter 1. Intentional Acts
1. Introduction 11
2. Acts for a Purpose 12
3. Completable and Completing Acts 14
4. Complex Acts 17
5. The Structures of Acts 22
6. Enabling Acts 26
7. Trying 30
8. Instrumental Acts 31
9. Developing a Theory 36
Chapter 2. Linguistic Acts
1. Sentential Acts 41
2. Illocutionary Acts 45
3. Audience Participation 49
4. Habitual Acts 55
5. Plain and Consummated Acts 56
6. Propositional Acts 58
7. Tree Diagrams 60
Page vi
Chapter 3. The System of Language
1. Representational Meaning 63
2. Inferential Meaning 66
3. Accepting and Rejecting Sentences 68
4. Commitment 78
5. Semantic Features 80
Chapter 4. The Role of Experience in the System of
Language
1. Experience 85
2. The Levels of Experience 86
3. Taking To Be and Taking For 91
4. The Sentential Structure of Experience 94
5. First-Level Experience 98
6. Habitual Acts Again 101
7. The Structure of the System of Language 103
8. Systems of Language 106
Chapter 5. Semantics
1. Significance with Respect to Experience 109
2. Experiential Connections 113
3. Semantics Is Possible 118
4. Semantic Theories 121
5. Theories of Representational Meaning 127
6. The Broader System of Language 130
Chapter 6. Logical Form and Grammatical Form
1. The Original Distinction 141
2. Some Problems with the Distinction 144
3. Reformulating the Distinction 146
4. Additional Problems 150
Chapter 7. Deep Structure, Surface Structure, Semantic
Structure
1. Deep and Surface Structure 153
2. Abandoning the Linguist's Picture 156
3. Speech-Act Syntactic Structure 158
4. Speech-Act Structure Instead of Deep Structure 163
5. English Adjectives 166
Page vii
Chapter 8. The Language
1. A Simplification 171
2. The Syntax and Truth Conditions of 173
3. Some Translations 182
4. Tree Diagrams 185
5. The First-Order Fragment of 190
6. The Deductive System 199
7. Soundness and Completeness of 206
Chapter 9. Speech-Act Structures
1. Syntax is Part of Semantics 219
2. Denoting Acts 222
3. The Individual Transformation 225
4. Representing 229
5. Depicting 233
6. Picturing 238
7. Multiple Structures 242
Chapter 10. Pronouns and the Language
1. The Variable Transformation 249
2. The Reflexive Transformation 250
3. The Language 262
4. Ordinary Pronouns 269