In presenting this account we attempt to answer such questions
as the following: What is an illocutionary force? Can the set of all
illocutionary forces be defined recursively from a few primitives,
and if so, how? What are the conditions of success of elementary
illocutionary acts which consist of an illocutionary force with
a propositional content, such as statements, orders, promises,
requests? How can the conditions of success of the complex
illocutionary acts such . as conditional speech acts and acts of
illocutionary denegation be defined from the conditions of success
of their constituent parts? What is the relation between illocu
tionary force and the meaning of sentences? What is the logical
form of performative sentences?
The first chapters are introductory. Each of the fundamental
notions, definitions or axioms is explained progressively from
chapter to chapter. Chapter z presents a general introduction to
the theory of speech acts. Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the nature of the
components of illocutionary forces and the logical structure of the
set of all illocutionary forces. Chapter 4 is concerned with the
conditions of success of illocutionary acts and Chapter 5 gives
further explanations of the components of illocutionary force.
Chapter 6 is the central chapter of the book in the sense that it
presents a systematic and complete exposition of the logical
theory. All definitions and independent axioms and postulates of
the logical theory are explicitly stated in that chapter. Chapters 7
and 8 enumerate a series of philosophically or linguistically significant laws concerning illocutionary forces, speech acts and proposi
tions that follow deductively from the axioms. Finally, in Chapter 9 there are semantic definitions of over a hundred English performative or illocutionary verbs.
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction to the theory of speech acts
I Illocutionary acts and illocutionary logic
II Elocutionary acts and other types of speech acts
III The seven components of illocutionary force
IV Definitions of illocutionary force and related notions
2 Basic notions of a- calculus of speech acts
I Definition of the set of possible contexts of utterance
II Some formal properties of the set of all propositions
III Some formal properties of illocutionary forces
IV Definition of an illocutionary force
3 The logical structure of the set of illocutionary forces
I The hypothesis of constructibility
II The five illocutionary points
III Principal operations on illocutionary forces
4 Conditions of success of illocutionary acts and
illocutionary commitments
I Definitions of the set of all illocutionary acts and of their conditions of success
II Some axioms governing illocutionary commitment and strict equivalence
5 On the logical form of the various components of illocutionary force
I Illocutionary point
II Direction of fit
III Degree of strength
IV Sincerity conditions
6 Axiomatic propositional illocutionary logic
I Basic set-theoretical entities of illocutionary logic
II Definitions of the set of all illocutionary forces and of the conditions of success of illocutionary acts
III Axioms of illocutionary logic
7 General laws of illocutionary logic
I Laws for the components of illocutionary force
II Illocutionary entailment
III Laws of identity for derived illocutionary
IV Some laws concerning illocutionary commitment
V Relative incompatibility and self-defeating speech acts
VI Illocutionary negation
VII Conjunctive illocutionary acts
VIII Conditional illocutionary acts
8 Laws for illocutionary forces
I Laws for non-expressive illocutionary forces
II Laws for simple illocutionary forces
III Laws of preservation of illocutionary commitment
IV Laws for illocutionary forces with a common point
9 Semantical analysis of English illocutionary verbs
I English assertives
II English commissives
III English directives
IV English declaratives
V English expressives
Appendix 1 Semantic tableaux for illocutionary entailment
Appendix 2 List of symbols
Bibliography