ANSWER KEY Semantics: a coursebook

Unit 25 Study Guide and Exercises

Directions: After you have read Unit 25 you should be able to tackle the following questions to
test your understanding of the main ideas raised in the unit.

1. You should understand these terms and concepts from this unit:

sentence meaning
utterance meaning
propositional content of a directive illocution
propositional content of a commissive illocution
primary illocution indicators

2. Express the propositional content of each of the following directives with a declarative
sentence (that asserts this content). Do the declarative sentences you give also have the same
directive illocution as the original? Comment on the relative politeness of each type of utterance.
a. "Put on this sweater." You will put on this sweater.
b. "Stay over there." You will stay over there.
c. "I'd like you to do something for me." You will do something for me.
d. "You have to stay here." You will have to stay here.

These declaratives also have the same directive illocution as the originals. They
do not sound appreciably more or less polite than the originals.

3. Give interrogative sentences corresponding to each sentence in question 2 above (i.e.

sentences that question the propositional content of the illocution). Does the utterance of each of
these sentences carry out the same directive illocutionary act as uttering the corrsponding
declarative sentence? Comment on politeness.

2a: Will you put on this sweater?

2b: Will you stay over there?
2c: Will you do something for me?
2d: ?Will you have to stay here?

Except for item 2d, these interrogatives also carry out the same illocutionary
act as the corresponding declaratives. They sound somewhat more polite.
4. In each of the following cases give an assertion of the propositional content of the commissive
illocution concerned with a sentence of the form I will.... Then turn each assertion into a question
(that questions the propositional content of the illocution). Comment on whether the assertions
and questions you formulated are equally suitable as commissive speech acts of the intended
type.

a. Student promising to finish his homework.

I will finish my homrwork. Will I finish my homework?

b. Host offering to get her guests something to drink.

I will get you something to drink. Will I get you something to drink?

c. General accepting the surrender of his army.

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ANSWER KEY Semantics: a coursebook

I will accept the surrender of my army. Will I accept the surrender of

my army?

d. Engineer undertaking a new project.

I will undertake a new project. Will I undertake a new project?

The assertions of the propositional content of the commissives are equally

suitable as commissive speech acts, but the questions are not.

5. What is perhaps the main reason for speakers preferring to communicate their messages by
means of indirect rather than direct illocutions?

Indirect illocutions are more polite than direct illocutions.

6. Consider an utterance like "Can you take out the garbage?" and answer the following
questions:

a. Identify the direct illocution of the utterance.

Questions the hearer's ability to take out the garbage.

b. Identify the indirect illocution of the utterance.

A request for the hearer to take out the garbage.

c. Identify the referring expressions and predicator (if any).

Referring expressions: you, the garbage

Predicator: take out

d. Does the utterance carry out any acts of reference or predication? Yes

7. For each of the following utterances identify the most likely illocutionary act involved and
indicate whether the speaker or hearer is explicitly mentioned (and identify them if they are).
Answers may vary. Speaker = "S" and Hearer = "H".

a. "Here's the book." Offering S, H are not mentioned

b. "Here's the book you ordered." Offering S is not mentioned
c. "I appreciate the help." Thanking H is not mentioned
d. "Scram!" Ordering S, H are not mentioned
e. "We'd like another helping." Requesting H is not mentioned

8. For each of the following utterances identify the most likely illocutionary act involved and
indicate whether they contain any referring expressions or predicates. Can you think of any more
similar utterances not already listed here or in the text?

a. "So long." leavetaking

b. "Over here!" calling or getting attention
c. "What's up?" greeting or questioning
d. "No." declining or refusing
e. "Ouch!" complaining
f. "Great!" approving or congratulating

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© James R. Hurford, Brendan Heasley and Michael B. Smith 2007
ANSWER KEY Semantics: a coursebook

These utterances do not contain any referring expressions or predicates. Similar

utterances will vary.

9. Is it necessary for the speaker and hearer to be referred to explicitly in order for an
illocutionary act to be carried out? Explain briefly and give one or two examples not already
given here.

No. Additional examples like those in question 8 will vary.

10. What do expressions such as bravo, hello, goodbye, hey! (and the additional ones given in
question 8 above) have in common? How are they classified in this unit? Are they similar to any
non-linguistic behavior? Explain briefly.

They are expressions that seem to have purely non-propositional meaning that
are parallel to non-verbal gestures. We have called them primary illocution
indicators.

www.cambridge.org/hurford
© James R. Hurford, Brendan Heasley and Michael B. Smith 2007