Page 69 - Communication and the Evolution of Society

46 Communication and Evolution of Society

as of expressed intentions) comes into view. This shows it does
not make sense to explicate the concepts meaning versus force
with reference to the distinction between the linguistic meaning
of a sentence and the pragmatic meaning of an utterance.
The linguistic analysis of sentence meaning abstracts from cer-
tain relations to reality into which a sentence is put as soon as
it is uttered and from the validity claims under which it is thereby
placed. On the other hand, a consistent analysis of meaning is
not possible without reference to some situations of possible use.
Every linguistic expression can be used to form statements. Even
illocutionary phrases (and originally intentional expressions)
can become part of propositional sentences. This suggests that
we might secure a certain unity for the linguistic analysis of the
meanings of linguistic expressions by relating it in every case to
their possible contribution to forming propositions. But that
makes sense only for such expressions as can appear exclusively
in propositional components of speech. The meaning of perfor-
mative expressions should, on the contrary, be clarified by refer-
ring to their possible contribution to forming illocutionary acts
(and the meaning of originally intentional expressions by re-
ferring to their possible contribution to forming first-person sen-
tences expressing wishes, feelings, intentions, etc.). The linguis-
tic explication of the meaning of ‘‘to promise”’ should orient itself
around its contribution to forming the sentence,

1) “I hereby promise you that...”
and not,

2) “He is promising him that...”
Correspondingly, the explication of the meaning of “‘to hate”
should refer to the sentence,

1’) “I hate you.”
instead of to the sentence,
2’) “He hates him.”

Only because and so long as the linguistic analysis of meaning
is biased in favor of the propositionalized forms (2 or 2’) is it
necessary to supplement the meaning of propositional sentences