puheaktia

Puheaktia, also known as speech acts or illocutionary acts, are fundamental units of meaning in human communication. They are defined by the intention of the speaker and the effect they aim to produce on the listener. Speech acts can be categorized into five main types: assertives, directives, commissives, declaratives, and expressives.

Assertives are statements that assert a proposition as true, such as "It is raining." Directives are requests or commands that attempt to get the listener to perform an action, like "Please pass the salt." Commissives are commitments made by the speaker, such as "I promise to help you with your homework." Declaratives change the state of affairs by declaring something to be true, for example, "I hereby declare this meeting open." Lastly, expressives express the speaker's psychological state, such as "I apologize for being late."

Speech acts are crucial in understanding and interpreting communication. They help clarify the intended meaning and the speaker's attitude towards the proposition. The theory of speech acts was first proposed by philosopher J.L. Austin in the 20th century and has since been developed and expanded upon by various linguists and philosophers.