Tools Reflecting Perlocution in Written Speech

Abstract

This article investigates the mechanisms through which written language reflects perlocutionary effects — that is, the influence an utterance has on a reader's thoughts, emotions, or actions. While perlocution is traditionally associated with spoken discourse, written texts also wield persuasive and affective power. This study identifies key linguistic and stylistic tools that authors use to generate perlocutionary responses, including rhetorical strategies, narrative perspective, modality, evaluative language, and metadiscourse. Drawing from discourse analysis and pragmatics, the article provides a typology of these tools and illustrates their use through examples from literary and non-literary texts.