Fall Quarter

Language can be used to perform many different actions. We can assert, command, request, query, promise, invite, and so on. We can also subordinate, rank, and enact and reinforce norms and social hierarchies. In this course we will examine speech acts, the ways they have been formally modeled, and how social location affects which speech acts one can perform and how speech is shaped and interpreted. In the first part of the course we will discuss foundational work on speech acts starting with Austin’s speech act theory. We will then investigate ways philosophers and linguists have modeled speech acts—especially assertions, questions, and imperatives—with a focus on work by Stalnaker, Lewis, Roberts, Portner, Starr, and others. Throughout our discussions we will consider the extent to which extant work can adequately capture the relevance of social location. In the second half of the course we will examine connections between speech acts and social groups including work on consent, slurs, and changing norms about permissibility. We will read work by Langton, McGowan, Tirrell, and others. We will conclude by considering recent work aimed at incorporating social location into formal models of conversation and reflect on the value of formal and informal modeling in theories of language.

This is a research training course geared specifically for first-year graduate students and taught by the Director of Graduate Studies. The specific content covered will be tailored to the research interests of the students enrolled on the course. The goal of the course is to provide a solid foundation for a successful Ph.D.