Speech Acts – Illocution and Linguistic Actions in Pragmatics (Austin & Searle)

Описание: What is illocution and what is a speech act in speech act theory? #illocution #speechact #austin

00:00 – Introduction
00:20 – Speech act: Saying = Doing
00:40 – Illocution
00:58 – Speech acts

Video content:

The theory of speech acts was developed by John L. Austin, a philosopher who explored how language not only describes things but also does things. His famous work is called How to Do Things with Words. The core idea summed up in one sentence: Saying something means doing something. Smart guy, this Austin — wish I had come up with that!

At the beginning of my videos, I always say: “Great to have you back!” You probably didn’t think much of it, but if you look more closely at the communicative goal behind it — in other words, why I say it — you’ll notice that I’m trying to compliment you, to share my emotion, to express that I’m glad you’ve chosen to watch this video and learn something. This goal — to compliment — is called the illocution. So “Great to have you back!” is a speech act. Through it, I performed the act of complimenting.

And that’s what happens every time you speak. You act:

With “Could you repeat that, please?” you’re asking someone to do something. The illocution of this speech act is a request.

With “Shall we go to Mannheim on Friday?” you’re making a suggestion. The illocution of this speech act is a suggestion.

Speech acts are, therefore, linguistic actions.
Here’s a little test: What illocution is behind the following statement?

“If you don’t subscribe to my channel right now, I’m calling your parents.”