ABSTRACT. The article argues for an illocutionary distinction between predictions and what will be classed as prospections. It provides a critical examination of the notion of prediction and its standard definition in speech act theory. In light of some counterexamples, and after suggesting some amendments regarding evidence, I show that a dynamic model of assertion can account for different future-oriented illocutionary forces. One interesting result is that, by analogy with bets, the essential effect of predictions on context relies not on adding the propositional content to the conversational score, but only the record of the very linguistic act that is being performed by the predictor.

Keywords: prediction; prospection; assertion; evidence; conversational score

How to cite: Fuentes, Pablo (2019). “Predictive Illocutions and Conversational Scores,” Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations 18: 7–36.

Received 10 October 2017 • Received in revised form 8 January 2018
Accepted 9 January 2018 • Available online 25 January 2018

doi:10.22381/LPI1820191