Most Valuable Communication Theory Essay

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Question 2: Most Valuable Communication Theory
Everyone has experienced that moment when you are talking to someone and you think “what do they mean by that?” Sometimes the message the sender is trying to get across is interpreted differently by the receiver. Perceptions are what drive a person’s interpretation of the meaning behind the message. With that said, there is a communication theory that explains the function of language and how it used to send a message. In short this valuable theory connects words to actions and can act as a tool that may be utilized in everyday communication.
Within the philosophy of language there is a theory that attempts to explain how speakers use language to send a message and how receivers interpret the intended message from what is said. This theory, commonly referred to as Speech Act Theory was developed by Oxford philosopher J.L. Austin. When Austin passed one of his former students John R. Searle continued developing this theory by further elaborating and refining it. Speech Act Theory can be broken down into several categories but first, what is a speech act?
A speech act is an utterance that acts as a functional unit in human communication. There are an infinite number of speech acts that a person can perform. Speech acts are not uniformed, but rather open to interpretation and negotiation. They can be defined by a culture, community, religion etc. However, Austin originally determined that what we say has three types of meanings: locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary. Locutionary meaning deals with the literal meaning of what is said. For example, the meaning behind someone saying “it is hot in here,” literally means the temperature in the room is hot. Illocutionary meanin...

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...nt cultures. Speech Act Theory is most closely coined with cross-cultural pragmatics. By utilizing both the constitutive and regulative rules I can better address someone of a different culture.
In conclusion Speech Act Theory has been the most valuable theory I have learned this semester because it breaks down language and addresses how to accomplish the intended meaning while also making me aware of how my intended meaning might be misconstrued. By exercising the elements put forth within this theory I can approach a given situation and systematically assign unit acts to specific speech act types. This in turn will help me frame my intended message in a way that will successfully reach by audience by following the rules of speech acts, as well as accurately interpret the intended message to the best of my ability by identifying function of the speech act.

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