Logical structure of questions as indirect speech acts

When interpreting particular speech acts one should not limit oneself to distinguishing only the presence of the illocutionary force indicating devices. Such an attitude would neglect a vast area of illocutionary forces which can be expressed by particular propositional contents in indirect speech acts. Indirect speech acts are illocutionary acts consisting of a primary illocutionary act that is performed through a secondary illocutionary act of a different type. Thus the utterance Can you pass the salt? is primarily meant as a request despite, but also due to, its literal meaning. One should explain how hearers can understand indirect speech acts. Searle (1975) claims that interlocutors are equipped with an inferential strategy and with background information on the context and on how speech acts are performed. Therefore, the hearer can decide that the literal meaning is not the one meant by the speaker and assume that something else must have been meant that can be retrieved thanks to an inferential strategy. It is claimed that numerous interrogatives can be treated as indirect speech acts. Besides, a sample classification of the functions performed by indirect speech acts of an interrogative form is presented - they can represent all types of speech acts with the only exception of declaratives. Moreover, the reasons for using speech acts which seem to complicate the process of communication are discussed. These comprise the need for polite behaviour and the need for satisfying the so called face of the speaker and hearer.