Essays on Speech Acts and Other Topics in Pragmatics

Marina Sbisà's book collects seventeen essays that explore speech acts and pragmatic phenomena, drawing inspiration from J. L. Austin's work. It emphasizes the normative aspects of language and language use, focusing on the role of intersubjective agreement in deontic updating and the transformative power of illocution. Examples and applications are given to illustrate the social and political dimensions of linguistic activity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 19 June 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This book is a comprehensive collection of seventeen essays written by Marina Sbisà between 1984 and 2020. It explores her unique approach to speech acts and related pragmatic phenomena, drawing inspiration from the work of J. L. Austin. The essays examine the categories of speech act theory and apply them to natural discourse and conversation, aiming to provide an accurate analysis of how speech can be action. Sbisà delves into the normative aspects of language and language use, emphasizing the role of speech acts in reshaping the normative context in which they occur. She also explores the rational grounds of implicature and the normative aspect of linguistically mandated presuppositions.

The conventionalist view of speech acts developed in this book challenges the main tenets of a Gricean intentionalist understanding of speech act performance. It shifts focus from single utterances to discursive sequences and conversational interaction, emphasizing the role of intersubjective agreement in deontic updating. This view opens up a new perspective on speech actions, focusing on their normatively transformative power. Throughout the essays, examples and applications are provided to illustrate how the view contributes to understanding the social and political dimensions of linguistic activity, such as hidden persuasive strategies, power imbalances within and outside the context of conversation, and the relevance of language and discourse to gender issues.

In conclusion, this book offers a valuable contribution to the study of speech acts and pragmatic phenomena. It provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the categories of speech act theory, their application to natural discourse, and their normative implications. Sbisà's distinctive approach challenges traditional understandings of speech act performance and opens up new avenues for understanding the social and political dimensions of linguistic activity. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers in the fields of linguistics, philosophy, and social sciences.

Weight: 634g
Dimension: 162 x 242 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192844125