puheaktiteoriasta

Puheaktiteoria, or speech act theory, is a philosophical and linguistic theory that examines utterances not merely as expressions of meaning but as actions performed by speakers. Developed by philosophers like J.L. Austin and further elaborated by John Searle, the theory posits that when we speak, we are not just conveying information, but also performing actions such as promising, ordering, requesting, warning, or apologizing.

Austin, in his seminal work "How to Do Things with Words," distinguished between constative utterances (which describe states of affairs) and performative utterances (which perform actions). He later refined this by suggesting all utterances have a performative aspect. Searle expanded on this, categorizing speech acts into several types: assertives (stating facts), directives (attempting to get someone to do something), commissives (committing to a future action), expressives (expressing psychological states), and declaratives (bringing about a change in reality by uttering them).

The theory analyzes utterances on three levels: locutionary act (the act of saying something), illocutionary act (the speaker's intention in saying it, the actual "act" performed), and perlocutionary act (the effect the utterance has on the listener). Understanding speech acts is crucial for comprehending communication, as it highlights the pragmatic dimension of language, where meaning is often derived not just from words themselves but from the context and the speaker's intention.