Speech act theory definition
A subfield of pragmatics concerned with the ways in which words can be used not only to present information but also to carry out actions. Speech act theory attempts to explain how speakers use language to accomplish intended actions and how hearers infer intended meaning form what is said. Although speech act studies are now considered a sub-discipline of cross-cultural pragmatics, they actually take their origin in the philosophy of language.
A speech act is a minimal functional unit in human communication. Just as a word (refusal) is the smallest free form found in language and a morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries information about meaning (-al in refuse-al makes it a noun), the basic unit of communication is a speech act (the speech act of refusal).
(John L. Austin, How to Do Things With Words, 2nd ed. Harvard Univ. Press, 1975)
Example
Examples and Observations:
"The act of 'saying something' in the full normal sense I call, i.e., dub, the performance of a locutionary act, and the study of utterances thus far and in these respects the study of locutions, or of the full units of speech. . . .
"In performing a locutionary act we shall also be performing such an act as:
- asking or answering a question;
- giving some information or an assurance or a warning;
- announcing a verdict or an intention;
- pronouncing sentence;
- making an appointment or an appeal or a criticism;
- making an identification or giving a description;and the numerous like."
(John L. Austin, How to Do Things With Words, 2nd ed. Harvard Univ. Press, 1975)