Mikhail Kissine is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. His most recent book Imperatives, co-authored with Mark Jary, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2014.

• Introduction; 1. Austin's distinctions revisited; 2. Intentional states and locutionary acts; 3. Constative speech acts; 4. Directive speech acts; 5. Speech acts, autism spectrum disorders and typical development; 6. Commissive speech acts; Conclusion.

'Mikhail Kissine provides a most comprehensive and compelling case for the study of literal and nonliteral speech acts within a rigorously naturalistic approach. His data and arguments, which challenge theoretical confusions and prevalent assumptions, make up a major breakthrough. From Utterances to Speech Acts is an engaging read, novel and eye-opening - a lucid, evidence-based model of the study of direct and indirect language use among typically and atypically developing individuals.' Rachel Giora, Tel Aviv University