What is a directive illocutionary point?

A directive illocutionary point is an illocutionary point in which the speaker attempts to get someone to bring about the state of affairs described by the propositional content of the utterance.

According to certain analyses, a directive illocutionary point is one of the five basic purposes that a speaker can have in making an utterance.

• What is an illocutionary point?

Searle and Vanderveken 1985 39

Crystal 1985 95

Context for this page:

• Concept module: directive illocutionary point
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): D
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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