Speech Act Theory

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

A theory in the philosophy of language, developed by J.L. Austin and John Searle, holding that utterances are not merely descriptions but actions — doing things in the world such as promising, warning, ordering, or apologising

History and origin

Austin's William James Lectures at Harvard (1955), published as 'How to Do Things with Words' (1962); expanded by Searle in 'Speech Acts' (1969)

Examples

• Speech act theory distinguishes between what a sentence says (locution) and what it does (illocution).
• When a judge says 'I sentence you to ten years', that is a paradigm example of a performative speech act.

Synonyms: speech act theory, pragmatic action theory