Exploring Perlocution: An Interface Between Words And The World

This dissertation makes an attempt to account for perlocution in terms of the relationship between words and the world. Through the analysis of defining features of perlocution, we can conclude that perlocution is not a clear-cut act but a process which involves the participation of both the speaker and the hearer. Viewing perlocution as a process enables us to interpret the relation between words and the world from a new perspective. Perlocution serves as an interface between words and the world. In a goal-oriented communication the speaker and the hearer obey the Perlocutionary Cooperative Principle. The degree of fulfillment or failure of the Perlocutionary Cooperative Principle reflects how the communication-goal is achieved.Chapter One reviews the previous researches of perlocution and the significance of research on perlocution; Chapter Two explores the defining features of perlocution, discusses whether a perlocutionary act is an effect or an act; a physical act or a mental act. This chapter shows that the previous interpretations of perlocution committed an Effect=Act Fallacy; Chapter Three introduces and discusses the Causation Thesis. The discussion shows that the causation thesis is misleading: the so-called perlocutionary effect is not caused by the speaker but actively produced by the hearer who has the claim to the agency of the effect. So perlocution is not a clear-cut act but a process involving both the speaker and the hearer. Chapter Four discusses how perlocution functions in the relation between words and the world. As an interface of words and the world, the fulfillment of perlocution reflects the degree of the interaction between them. This interface can be mental, verbal, or physical, sometimes in the form of arbitrary combination of the three forms. The various forms of perlocutionary interface can also explain why perlocutionary act determines the success or failure of communication. In addition, this chapter introduces the Perlocutionary Cooperative Principle. The degree of achievement of communication-goal is reflected by how successfully the Perlocutionary Cooperative Principle is fulfilled;Chapter Five is the conclusion of this dissertation.