J.L.
Austin (Originator of Speech Act Theory)
Austin was a British philosopher of language (Oxford, 1950s).
He studied the ordinary use of language and realized that not all utterances are about describing
facts (true/false).
Example: Saying “I apologize” or “I promise” → these cannot be judged as true or false; instead,
they are actions performed through words.
This insight led him to his lectures later published as “How to Do Things with Words” (1962).
His contribution:
Distinguished 3 levels of speech acts:
Locutionary (the utterance itself),
Illocutionary (the intended action),
Perlocutionary (the effect).
Showed that speaking = acting.
John Searle (Developer/Systematizer of Speech Act Theory)
Searle was Austin’s student at Oxford and later a professor at UC Berkeley.
He admired Austin’s ideas but thought they needed to be organized and classified.
In “Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language” (1969), he built on Austin’s theory.
He focused on illocutionary acts (the heart of Austin’s idea) and proposed that every speech act
is governed by rules (calledA felicity conditions).
His contribution:
Created a taxonomy of illocutionary acts:
Assertives
Directives
Commissives
Expressives
Declarations
✅ How They Came Up With It (in short):
Austin: Noticed in ordinary conversations that language is not just about “saying things,” but also
about “doing things.”
Searle: Expanded and refined Austin’s insight, creating categories and rules to systematically analyze
speech as action.
1. What are Speech Acts?
Speech Acts are utterances in which saying something is also doing something.
Example: When someone says “I promise to help you” → they’re not just speaking, they are
making a promise (an action).
This was first proposed by J.L. Austin and later refined by John Searle.
2. Austin’s Speech Act Theory
Austin (1962) in his book How to Do Things with Words argued that language is not just for
describing facts, but also for performing actions.
Austin’s Three Levels of Speech Acts
1. Locutionary Act – the literal act of saying something (the words + their meaning).
Ex: “The door is open.” → simply stating a fact.
2. Illocutionary Act – the intended function of the utterance (what the speaker is doing).
Ex: “The door is open.” → could mean “Please close it.” (a request).
3. Perlocutionary Act – the effect on the listener.
Ex: “The door is open.” → listener actually goes and closes the door.
Key point: The illocutionary act is central—it shows what action the speaker is performing (ordering,
apologizing, promising, etc.).
3. Searle’s Contribution
John Searle (1969) systematized Austin’s theory. He focused on illocutionary acts and classified
them into categories.
Searle’s Five Types of Illocutionary Acts
1. Assertives (or Representatives)
Function: State facts, describe the world.
Ex: “The Philippines is in Southeast Asia.”
2. Directives
Function: Get the listener to do something.
Ex: “Close the window.” / “Can you pass the salt?”
3. Commissives
Function: Commit the speaker to a future course of action.
Ex: “I will finish the report tomorrow.”
4. Expressives
Function: Express the speaker’s psychological state or feelings.
Ex: “I’m sorry for being late.” / “Congratulations!”
5. Declarations
Function: Change reality by uttering the words (when spoken in the right context by the right
authority).
Ex: “You are now husband and wife.” / “I declare the meeting open.”
