Illocution and Power Imbalance

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the role of speech as regards certain kinds of power imbalance. It introduces and illustrates exercitive illocutionary acts, consisting of the exercise of authority or influence and affecting the rights and obligations of the participants. After acknowledging that there are ways in which we bring about effects on the rights and obligations of the participants, other than the performance of Exercitives, it focuses attention on examples of Exercitives from informal speech situations, showing how the exercitive force of an utterance can be detected and what effects it may have on the degree of power or authority of the participants, either as its illocutionary effect or by accommodation. It also discusses a case in which the characteristic effects of Exercitives are achieved in a “backdoor” fashion and the strategies that may be employed to block them.