In recent years, pedagogical pragmatics has sought to improve the effectiveness with which learners express and interpret meaning, through awareness-raising activities that draw on authentic materials and break away from simplistic explanations of form-function correspondences. By and large, these efforts have been informed by an inductive…

The current renewal of interest in language creativity raises a number of intriguing problems, as is evident from the stimulating papers in the recent special issue of "Applied Linguistics". According to the editors of this issue, however, these papers are not concerned with creativity in a general pragmatic sense but more specifically with poetic…

Focuses on why inconsistencies of Searle's speech act theory, as identified by Love, have remained unnoticed by the academic community. (Author/VWL)

This letter to the editor comments on a 1998 article by J. S. Yaruss which proposed that classification of stuttering be adopted to foster improvement in basic understanding. The article is critiqued as failing to recognize the two major components of a stuttering event and for the author's definitions of impairment and disability as applied to…

Focuses on the indirection process presented in Searle's and Vanderveken's theory of speech acts: the performance of a primary speech act by means of the accomplishment of a secondary speech act. Discusses indirection mechanisms used in advertising and in political communication. (Author/VWL)

This paper discusses the Gottlieb Fregian approach to meaning of propositions and D. A. Brenders' use of that approach in his research. The paper argues that Brenders' theory is problematic and self-contradictory because of his adherence to Frege's distinctions coded in terms of idea and sense and reference on the word level, and judgment and…

Demonstrates the basic nature of speaking as related to learning. Argues that speech should be a basic component of instruction at all levels, especially at the presently neglected elementary level. (PD)

Applies speech act theory to business writing to determine why certain letters and memos succeed while others fail. Specifically, shows how speech act theorist H. P. Grice's rules or maxims illuminate the writing process in business communication. (PD)

Looks at the meaning of the verb "report," to make an argument for a view of genre as a cultural activity and a view of literacy involving children in the development of personal perspective. This argues against a text-based view of genre and a pedagogy that relies primarily on the modeling of "considered texts." (10…

Recent models of metadiscourse proposed by Joseph M. Williams and William J. Vande Kopple are collections of disparate structures instead of principled systems--they do not contain rules to explain the interdependencies of their categories. Metadiscourse should be redefined as a category within the larger context of speech act theory.…

This study investigates the applicability of the speech act theory to written discourse, specifically that of the press. A survey of Searle's taxonomy leads to the suggestion that the constituent statements of most newspaper articles belong to the class of illocutionary acts he calls "representatives." In consideration of the basic characteristic…

Purpose: Many tools exist to chart the progress of an organisation in its quest to become a learning organization or achieve organizational learning. Aims to expand a tool already developed to include learning organization conditions as they occur through dialogue between individuals within an organisation with an emphasis on social learning…

Argues that pragmatics should expand its research interest to include not only the study of how speakers perform speech acts but also the investigation of instances where they decide not to perform them, referred to as the "opting out" choice. (CB)

Advances the development of a classification system, based on the salient speech act distinctions made by ordinary people, which can be of practical use in characterizing extended segments of discourse. Presents an attempt to use speech act theory in the quantitative study of interpersonal communication. (HTH)

Discusses Austin's ideas about language in relation to the ideas of Roy Harris, and, more specifically, the Austinian attitude toward language and integrational linguistics.(seven references) (CK)