Norms of Public Argument: A Speech Act Perspective. Topoi, 42(2), 2023, 349-356.

Abstract

This editorial introduces the Topoi special issue Norms of Public Argument: A Speech Act Perspective, which brings together recent work at the intersection of speech act theory, pragmatics, and argumentation theory. The issue explores how norms govern public disputes and reasoning, how speech acts enact and transform normative relations, and how linguistic practices can both sustain and undermine democratic discourse. Contributions by Mitchell S. Green, Neri Marsili, Grzegorz Gaszczyk, Grace Paterson, Mary Kate McGowan, Giles Howdle, Kyle Adams, Cousens, Álvaro Domínguez-Armas, Andrés Soria-Ruiz, Marcin Lewiński, Felix Bräuer, Amalia Haro Marchal, Cristina Corredor, van Berkel and Wagemans, and Shiyang Yu and Frank Zenker examine foundational speech acts, normatively problematic discourse, and argumentation-theoretic issues. Collectively, the papers demonstrate how contemporary speech act theory can illuminate the norms, pathologies, and repair mechanisms of public argument across institutional, political, and everyday contexts.