Speech Act Theory as a pragmatic view on language

The role of pragmatics in the philosophy of language has been a central subject of discussion since the initial distinction between syntax, semantics and pragmatics. I shall emphasize here the philosophical relevance of a pragmatic conception of language, examining some of the main contributions to pragmatics such as found in Wittgenstein’s language games and in Austin and Searle’s Speech Act Theory. I shall also discuss some criticism of recent developments of these pragmatic conceptions of the analysis of language, showing, however, that there are ways of overcoming the difficulties which have been pointed out. Finally I propose Speech Act Theory as the best candidate for a pragmatic philosophy of language. Key words: pragmatics, Wittgenstein, Speech Act Theory.