Re: A Simple Four Phrase Types Theory

Philippe Caquant wrote:

>A Simple Four Phrase Types Theory
>
>I called it so because I discovered 5 of them (of
>course).
>
>The idea is that every sentence that a speaker may
>produce, being one way or another destinated to an
>addressee, had to belong to one of the 4 (+1) semantic
>types below, these types being based on the concept of
>intentionality :
>
>1/ enunciative sentences. By such sentences the
>speaker just wants some information to get to the
>addressee’s conscience, whatever the information may
>be (“objective” information, persuasion, blame, joke
>or whatever). He doesn’t expect anything particular in
>return, except maybe an acknowledgement like “OK, got
>it”.
>
>2/ imperative sentences. The speaker expects that the
>addressee will produce in return some act or action,
>excluding sole speech acts.
>
>3/ interrogative sentences. The speaker expects that
>the addressee will provide some information (speech
>act) in return to his request.
>
>4/ performative sentences. The speech act is itself a
>(social) act (it modifies relations in the universe).
>
>A fifth type would be “unintentional” sentences, where
>there is no intention at all, as the names suggests
>it, and in some cases even no addressee. There are
>usually “instinctive” sentences.
>
>
>
Surely the latter, by your examples, should be emotive sentences, trying
to express a feeling.

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