Expressed and Implied Locutionary Acts

The locutionary act is concerned with the propositional content of the utterance, which is what follows the performative verb in an explicit performative and the entire utterance in a nonexplicit performative. In the following example, the propositional content is in italics.

1. Explicit: I promise I’ll write the report tomorrow.

2. Nonexplicit: I’ll write the report tomorrow.

The propositional content of a locutionary act can be either expressed directly or implied via implicature. The propositional content is expressed if the utterance actually contains an expression of the propositional content condition for the illocutionary act involved. For example, consider a warning, which is a type of directive. The propositional content condition on all directives is to predicate a future act of the hearer. Thus a warning such as I warn you to stop doing this constitutes an expressed locutionary act because its propositional content predicates a future act of the hearer.

On the other hand, the propositional content is implied if the utterance does not contain an expression of the propositional content condition for the illocutionary act involved. For example, the utterance I warn you that your actions are unreasonable constitutes an implied locutionary act (reconsider your actions) because its propositional content does not predicate a future act of the hearer; instead it predicates a quality of the hearer.

Some types of illocutionary acts don’t have any specific propositional content conditions. Questions can have any proposition as their propositional content. Therefore, a common method for implying a locution is for the speaker to express a pre-condition for the proposition of interest. For example Do you have a watch? Expresses a pre-condition for having the time.

The same utterance may contain an implied locution on one occasion but an expressed locution on another. For example, if you ask your friend Do you have a watch? In order to help you decide what to get him/her for the birthday party, then the proposition of interest is expressed by the utterance. However, if the same utterance is used to ask the time, the proposition of interest is only implied by the utterance.

Literal and Nonliteral Locutionary Acts

A locutionary act can be either literal or nonliteral, depending upon whether the speaker actually means what is said or not.for example a warning Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health means exactly what it says; thus, it constitutes a literal locutionary act. On the other hand, the locution I could eat a horse is nonliteral. Nonliteral locutionary acts are those for which a literal interpretation is either impossible or absurd within the context of the utterance. Nonliteral locutionary acts can be analysed as flouting Grice’s maxim of Quality as hey involve someone saying something that is blatanly false under the circumstances.

Consider some other examples that require nonliteral interpretation:

1. If you want your wheel clamped, park here.

2. Why don’t you shout so everyone can hear?

3. I am sure it will kill you to turn down the TV.