Problems of Speech Act Theory From an Applied Perspective *

Speech act theory has been very influential in a number of fields, including applied linguistics. However, there remain a number of fundamental problems within the theory. These concern (1) how many speech acts there are; (2) indirect speech acts and the concept of literal force; (3) the size of speech act realization forms; (4) the contrast between specific and diffuse acts; (5) discrete categories versus scale of meaning; (6) the relation between locution, illocution, and interaction; and (7) the relation between the whole and the parts in a discourse. This paper discusses these problems and asks to what extent they undermine attempts to apply speech act theory in the field of language pedagogy. In addition, consideration is given to the question of whether future development in speech act theory is likely to offer the possibility of further advances in application.