Spreekhandeling

Spreekhandeling, also known as speech act or illocutionary act, is a concept in linguistics and philosophy that refers to the action performed by a speaker when they utter a sentence. It is distinct from the literal meaning of the words used, which is known as the locutionary act. For example, the sentence "I promise to help you" is a spreekhandeling, as it commits the speaker to a future action, even if the words themselves do not literally describe that action.

Spreekhandeling theory was first proposed by the philosopher J.L. Austin in his 1962 book "How to Do Things with Words." Austin identified several types of spreekhandelingen, including:

1. Assertives: Statements that assert a proposition as true, such as "It is raining."

2. Directives: Requests or commands that attempt to get the hearer to do something, such as "Please pass the salt."

3. Commissives: Promises or commitments to perform an action in the future, such as "I will call you tomorrow."

4. Declarations: Acts that change the state of affairs, such as "I declare this meeting open."

5. Expressives: Expressions of the speaker's emotions or attitudes, such as "I apologize for being late."

Spreekhandeling theory has been influential in various fields, including pragmatics, philosophy of language, and artificial intelligence. It provides a framework for understanding how language is used to perform actions and achieve goals beyond simply conveying information. However, the theory has also been criticized for its focus on the speaker's intentions and the potential for ambiguity in interpreting speech acts.