Actes illocutoires et discours de la presse ecrite (Illocutionary Acts and the Press).

This study investigates the applicability of the speech act theory to written discourse, specifically that of the press. A survey of Searle's taxonomy leads to the suggestion that the constituent statements of most newspaper articles belong to the class of illocutionary acts he calls "representatives." In consideration of the basic characteristic of representatives, that is, the acceptability or nonacceptability of their truth-value, the report describes the effect of epistemic modulation on the reader, the use of credibility-inducing tactics by the writer, and the implications of the use of explanation as distinct from clarification as a means for anticipating the reader's reaction. Finally, a distinction is drawn between text-centered illocution and reader-oriented illocution. It is concluded that textual interpretation will depend partly on the reader's ability to perceive these two types of illocution correctly. (Author/AMH)