Reviving the performative hypothesis?

Thought: A Journal of Philosophy 10 (4):240-248 (2021)
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Abstract

A traditional problem with the performative hypothesis is that it cannot assign proper truth-conditions to a declarative sentence. This paper shows that the problem is solved by adopting a multidimensional semantics on which sentences have more than just truth-conditions. This is good news for those who want to at least partially revive the hypothesis. The solution also brings into focus a lesson about what issues to consider when drawing the semantics/pragmatics boundary.

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Peter van Elswyk
Northwestern University

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References found in this work

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Slurs Are Directives.Cameron Domenico Kirk-Giannini - 2019 - Philosophers' Imprint 19:1-28.
Toward a Linguistic Theory of Speech Acts.Bernard Comrie & Jerrold Sadock - 1974 - Philosophical Quarterly 26 (104):285.

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