2,725 research outputs found
Saying and Doing: Speech Actions, Speech Acts and Related Events
The question which this paper examines is that of the correct scope of the claim that extra-linguistic factors (such as gender and social status) can block the proper workings of natural language. The claim that this is possible has been put forward under the apt label of silencing in the context of Austinian speech act theory. The âsilencingâ label is apt insofar as when oneâs ability to exploit the inherent dynamic of language is âblockedâ by oneâs gender or social status then one might justly be said to be silenced. The notion that factors independent of any personâs linguistic competence might block her ability to exploit the inherent dynamic of language is of considerable social as well as theoretical significance. I shall defend the claim that factors independent of a personâs linguistic competence can indeed block her ability to do things with words but I will show that the cases that have been previously considered to be cases of illocutionary failure are instances of rhetic or locutionary act failure instead. I shall refine the silencing claim as previously advanced in the debate in at least one fundamental respect. I also show that considering the metaphysics of speech acts clarifies many of the issues previously appearing as thorny bones of contention between those who hold that the only notion of silencing that is coherent is that of physically preventing someone from speaking or writing and those who hold the opposite sort of claim sketched above
Recommended from our members
The School of Business and Writer's Place Partnership at The College of New Jersey
Like many institutions, The College of New Jersey, a public college with an undergraduate student population of about 6000, is grappling with the role and quality of undergraduate writing. Moreover, we are doing so in the context of a recent curricular revision through which all courses were transformed from 3credits to 4-credits and departments in the liberal arts and professional schools have begun to develop writing intensive courses. One goal driving this curricular revision was to have students dive more deeply into the subjects they study by writing more and better. Through this curricular change, we wrestled with questions such as âhow will changes in the curriculum affect what kind and how much writing students do?â and âwhat effect will curricular transformation have on the balance between content and writing?â A key concern for many faculty centered on not being sure how to teach writing and to respond to student papers. As our community focused attention on these matters, we discovered unexpected and fruitful opportunities for collaboration across program and disciplinary lines. One such collaboration between The School of Business and The Write Place began last year in response to faculty concerns about the quality of student papers.University Writing Cente
- âŠ