What is an anticipatory illocution?

Definition
	An anticipatory illocution is an illocutionary act that has the direct illocutionary force of a question about the conditions necessary for the appropriateness of some other illocutionary act. The anticipatory illocution thus has the indirect illocutionary force of the latter.

Example (English)

Would you like some more coffee?

This illocutionary act has the direct force of a question about a condition for the appropriateness of offering coffee. However, the speaker believes that if the addressee would like some coffee, then an offer of coffee will be accepted. Thus, the question has the indirect force of an offer of coffee.

Source:

Leech 1983 98

Generic
	An anticipatory illocution is a kind of
	What is indirect illocution?

Source
	Leech 1983 97–98

Context for this page:

Concept module: anticipatory illocution
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
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