SOCIOL 41 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Arthur Schuster, Public Space, Intersubjectivity
Document Summary
According to speech act theory, utterances both state something and do something. All eight of the utterances (lemonade example) perform an action, each has the force of a request. The significance of an utterance is not its literal meaning, but what it contributes to the word of the interaction in which it occurs. A speaker must cooperate with a listener by formulating the content of speech so it reflects the listener"s way of thinking about objects, events, and relationships. People must work together to attain a shared understanding of each other"s utterances. Both the listener and the speaker must actively engage in the process. Each participant needs information about the other"s status, view of the situation, and plans or intentions. Strangers rely on social conventions and rules of interpersonal communication. The interpersonal context influences the production and the interpretation. Language performance must be appropriate to the social and cultural context. Speakers are expected to use language that is:
