Illocutionary Acts And Sentence Meaning -
Alston’s central thesis is that for a sentence to have a particular meaning is for it to be to perform illocutionary acts of a matching type.
The broader framework of speech-act theory, which Alston refines, identifies three distinct layers of an utterance: Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning
Utterances that express a psychological state, such as apologizing or congratulating. Alston’s central thesis is that for a sentence
Meaning is determined by a sentence's potential to play the role a speaker intended. which Alston refines
Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning by William P. Alston
Attempts to get the listener to do something, such as requesting or commanding.