Abstract

This paper examines two recent approaches to illocutionary force – illocutionary pluralism and relativism – in the context of emerging non-ideal philosophies of language. These perspectives challenge illocutionary monism, a key tenet of prevailing speech act theories. While acknowledging the merits of these approaches in clarifying potential instances of illocutionary multiplicity, I argue for a more comprehensive theoretical framework. This framework should not only consider communicative intentions (as emphasized in pluralism) and illocutionary «perceptions» (pivotal to relativism) but also integrate the intersubjective dynamics through which normative effects and illocutionary forces are established, negotiated, and potentially revoked within unfolding conversational sequences