Aesthetic speech acts: their pragmatic status, function, and realization

Abstract

The subject matter of this article concerns the interpretation of texts and statements of an aesthetic nature in the light of pragmatics, i.e. as aesthetic speech acts. The author treats aesthetic speech acts as stimulating ones, which are opposed to both representative acts and determinative acts (especially, directive ones). A characteristic feature of stimulating speech acts is their persuasive nature, i.e. such a language action that induces and encourages the addressee to experience emotions but does not influence them in a volitional way. Aesthetic reactions are self-steering and do not depend on the subject’s will. Therefore, the realization of aesthetic speech acts, in comparison with other acts, is specific: it is not possible to use specialized (lexical or grammatical) exponents of the illocutionary function, e.g. performative verbs. To perform the aesthetic function, various elements of the plan of content and the plan of expression are used, which suggest the aesthetic intention of the sender: 1) the semantic content of the text or utterance; 2) its form and structure; 3) context and communication situation; and 4) translation of text/message, including the media. Due to their functional and formal features, aesthetic speech acts are divided into several subtypes: 1) macro-, meso- and micro-acts; 2) free and complementary acts; and 3) communicative and non-communicative acts.