The Power of Language to Shape Action and Reality

John Searle’s Speech Act Theory

Dec 28, 2024

**John Searle** - **University of Washington**

Building on J.L. Austin’s work(read my article on Austin) I want to continue exploring action-oriented language by discussing John Searle’s Speech Act Theory. While Austin introduced the groundbreaking idea that language performs actions, Searle refined and expanded this concept by examining the rules that govern speech and its effects on the world.

John Searle (1932–), a renowned American philosopher of language, developed Speech Act Theory in the 1960s. His work demonstrates that language is not merely a tool for communication but a means of performing actions with real-world consequences.

The Core of Speech Act Theory

John Searle expanded on Austin’s ideas, offering a more rigorous framework. He argued that all speech acts involve three core components:

Locutionary Acts: These are the basic acts of saying something with a particular meaning. For example, uttering the sentence “I promise to be there” has a specific meaning that both the speaker and the listener understand.
Illocutionary Acts: These are the actions performed by saying something. When you say “I promise to be there,” you are not just conveying information; you are making a promise. The illocutionary act is the promise itself.
Perlocutionary Acts: These are the effects or consequences of the illocutionary act. For instance, the promise might reassure the listener or make them feel more secure.

Types of Speech Acts

Searle categorised speech acts into several types, each serving a different purpose:

Assertives: Statements that commit the speaker to the truth of the proposition (e.g., “The Earth is round”).
Directives: Attempts by the speaker to get the listener to do something (e.g., “Please close the door”).
Commissives: Commitments by the speaker to a future course of action (e.g., “I promise to help you”).
Expressives: Expressions of the speaker’s psychological state (e.g., “I apologise for being late”).
Declaratives: Speech acts that change the reality in accord with the propositional contents of the declaration (e.g., “I now pronounce you husband and wife”).

Comparing Austin and Searle

While Austin focused on the conditions that make performatives successful, Searle explored the rules that underlie all speech acts. This shift from context-specific conditions to universal principles marked a significant advance in the philosophy of language. Where Austin spoke of felicitous or infelicitous acts, Searle offered a taxonomy of acts with clear criteria for their classification.

The Impact of Speech Act Theory

Searle’s theory has had a profound impact on linguistics and pragmatics. It has helped us understand how language shapes our actions and reality. For instance, when a judge declares a defendant guilty, the words themselves change the legal status of the defendant. This illustrates how speech acts can have tangible, real-world effects.

In my next article, we will look even deeper into the world of Speech Acts, exploring how they continue to shape our understanding of language and action. Stay tuned!

LinguisticallyYours' Substack

Discussion about this post