The organanon model and the theory of speech acts

Karl Bühler’s theory of language in the context of the ordinary language philosophy

Abstract

The Theory of Language, published 1934 in German, represents a milestone in Karl Bühler’s very productive and creative period during his years in Vienna. It was released at a time when scientific approaches to the phenomenon of language were fundamentally changing. While prior to the Theory of Language, the logical analysis of language as an idealized instrument of epistemic recognition was the focus within the field of philosophy of science, everyday language and its situational and socio-culturally conveyed relation to human action received increasing attention from the middle of the 20th century. In this article, the parallels and differences between Bühlers’ in some aspects pragmatic understanding of language and the analytical philosophy of language of the 20th century, which have so far hardly been considered, will be discussed. The focus here is on the theory of speech acts. From the contrasting juxtaposition it becomes clear that in addition to obvious similarities, there are significant differences, which result primarily from the apparent metatheoretical and language-philosophical background.