2.2 Exploring theories of uptake.
McDonald (2020) considers two theories of uptake. The first is the constitutional
theory . The constitutional theory of uptake is a hearer-favoured theory. This means
that the hearer, through what they hear, can decide the contents of the act that the
speaker performs (McDonald, 2020, pp.2). For example, if the hearer hears an
utterance that produces the illocutionary act of A, then the act is A despite the fact the
speaker might have intended for the illocutionary act to be B (Different from A). The
second theory of uptake is the ratification theory . This theory could be classified as a
speaker-favoured theory. It states that the illocutionary force of the utterance is
decided solely by the speaker. “The hearer has no power over which act could be
performed, but … does have power over whether it is performed” (McDonald, 2020,
pp. 2). The illocutionary act in this case can only be said to have been successful if the
hearer ratifies the act.
In order to see if Langton’s (1993) claims are justified her work must be placed into
a theory of uptake. Investigation into Langton’s (1993) work finds that her claims are
most compatible with the constitutional theory of uptake. This can be seen through the
case of illocutionary disablement where the speaker (according to Langton (1993, pp.
315)) is unable to decide on the contents of the act. The constitutional theory states
that if the hearer hears y then the act is y (McDonald, 2020). In relation to a woman
attempting to refuse sex in the case of illocutionary disablement, there is no uptake of
the refusal “no” and so the hearer ‘hears yes’ (a woman consenting to sex or not
refusing sex), and so goes ahead and has sex with the woman. In this case, the hearer,
through what they have heard, has decided the content of the act that the speaker
performs (McDonald, 2020, pp.2). This is what the constitutional theory of uptake
permits and so Langton’s (1993) claims of illocutionary disablement, a form of
illocutionary silencing can be said to be closest to this theory of uptake. Here it is
important to clarify that when Langton (1993) states that Uptake hasn’t occurred in
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