Interlocutor (linguistics)

This article is about a person involved in a conversation. For a grammatical case which identifies the person being addressed, see Vocative case.

For other uses, see Interlocutor (disambiguation).

In linguistics, discourse analysis, and related fields, an interlocutor is a person involved in a conversation or dialogue. Two or more people speaking to one another are each other's interlocutors.^[1][2] The terms conversation partner,^[3] hearer,^[4] or addressee^[5] are often used interchangeably with interlocutor.

According to Paul Grice, the behavior of interlocutors in ordinary conversation is governed by the cooperative principle.^[6]

See also

• Addressee honorific
• Clusivity
• Common ground (linguistics)
• Conversation analysis
• Discourse