Illocutionary constructions: Cognitive motivation and linguistic realization1 (original) (raw)

This paper explores the cognitive motivation and linguistic realization of illocutionary scenarios, positing that these complex structures can be constructed through a high-level metonymy that operates across various speech act categories. It further develops the Cost-Benefit Cognitive Model, illustrating how different linguistic constructions convey illocutionary meaning through notions of requesting, offering, and expressing. The findings are based on a corpus analysis and suggest that both conventional and non-conventional linguistic realizations are integral to understanding illocutionary intent.