ABSTRACT
Memorials are of different kinds and serve multiple purposes, but all memorials, whether buildings, statues, plaques, or walls of remembrance, communicate messages. Drawing on J. L. Austin ’s distinction between “illocutionary” and “perlocutionary” speech acts, I explore the modes by which memorials speak to us and the variety of their effects. Among their “illocutionary” functions are celebrating, remembering, glorifying, expressing values, and encouraging loyalty. Their “perlocutionary” effects are their actual impacts on an audience. So a memorial may inspire, encourage, delight, warn, or reinforce a sense of identity or set of values. The chapter concludes with a study of three contrasting memorials.
