SPEECH ACT THEORY IN MODERN LINGUISTICS: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES

Speech act theory is one of the fundamental theories of modern pragmatics, explaining how language functions as a means of performing communicative actions. This article examines the theoretical foundations and development of speech act theory and reviews contemporary approaches to its application in modern linguistics. The study employs qualitative research based on descriptive, analytical, comparative, and literature review methods. The findings indicate that the contributions of J. L. Austin and J. R. Searle established the theoretical basis of speech act theory, while later scholars expanded its scope by emphasizing communicative intention, context, and pragmatic inference. The article also highlights recent developments in digital communication, corpus pragmatics, intercultural communication, and computational linguistics. It is concluded that speech act theory remains an essential framework for analyzing language in use and provides a solid theoretical foundation for further research in discourse analysis, including written advertisements.