Who proposed the speech act theory?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the individual or group that developed or introduced the speech act theory, which is a significant concept in linguistics and philosophy of language.
Answer
John L. Austin proposed the speech act theory.
The speech act theory was proposed by John L. Austin.
Answer for screen readers
The speech act theory was proposed by John L. Austin.
More Information
John L. Austin introduced the speech act theory in his 1959 book 'How to Do Things with Words'. His lectures laid out the framework for understanding how language can be used to perform actions, not just to convey information.
Tips
A common mistake is confusing John L. Austin with John Searle, who further developed the theory, but Austin was the originator.
Sources
- What Is The Speech Act Theory: Definition and Examples - ThoughtCo - thoughtco.com
- Speech Acts - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - plato.stanford.edu
- Speech Act Theory in Discourse Analysis [Interactive Article] - discourseanalyzer.com