Analysis of Themes and Illocutionary Speech Act in Selected Advisory Biblical and Literary Texts (original) (raw)
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SPEECH ACT THEORY AND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION
This article examines the use of speech act theory in biblical interpretation and the way it has been used in the past two and half decades. The first section of the article explains some of the aspects of speech act theory and how it can be applicable to Biblical texts. Speech act theory can be applied to texts in many ways and two approaches followed most by scholars are examined in the second part of the article. On the one hand there is an approach which deals with each speech act in detail and the there is an approach where the focus is more on the overall perlocutionary effect of a text. It is clear that the enormous potential of this method has not yet been utilised fully by New Testament scholars.
2018
It is recently seen that religious language is discussed with regard to various theories related to language. In this study, religious language will be evaluated in terms of speech acts theory which is one of the most important theories associated with ordinary language. Accordingly, some questions will be the main concern of this article. Can the matters stated in the speech acts theory be applied to the religious language? If applicable, in what way can it be applied? Should we impose any restriction while applying this theory to the ordinary language? Firstly, it is necessary to discuss speech acts theory of Austin who is one of the most significant agents of the ordinary language philosophy in order to answer these questions. Afterwards, the expressions in The Holy Quran<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup> accepted by Muslims as a holy writing will be analysed in the sense of Austin's theory: It will also be investigated whether the approaches mentioned in Austi...
A Bibliography of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric: An Alphabetic Arrangement
RBS, 2009
Originally this bibliography was focusing on biblical texts only basing in great part on the works of John W. Welch – Daniel B. McKinlay, ed., Chiasmus Bibliography; Angelico di Marco, Il chiasmo nella Bibbia; and Jan H. Thomson, Chiasmus in the Pauline Letters. At the present time the bibliography is expanded and also includes the analysis of other texts like Qu’ran, Al-Hadith, Egyptian texts, and even more modern texts in which similar compositional features are found (e.g., Blaise Pascal, William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson). It is a lists of publications showing different compositional features mainly in the biblical texts, but not only. It is available on the website of the International Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric” (RBS). https://www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org/en/publications/bibliographies/, where there is also a companion document arranged by the texts with different compositions presented by various authors.
Lodz Papers in Pragmatics, 2010
The aim of the paper is to analyze religious discourse with the use of the instruments of semantics and pragmatics. Essentially, it sets out to identify the linguistic elements which enable the illocutionary force in the Romanian orthodox sermons, especially in the discourse of some important figures which have influenced and still influence the Romanian orthodox theology and the religious life in Romania: Father Cleopa, Father Nicolae Steinhardt, and, nowadays, Father Teofil Pârâianu. It is usually assumed that a sermon implies, on the one hand, a kerugmatik action, that of annunciation, and, on the other hand, a translating action of the biblical induce the human will to practice the words in order to Christian precepts. Mutatis mutandis, the perlocutionary effect depends on the illocutionary act and of the illocutionary force. In theory, the illocutionary force of an utterance is strictly motivated by the pragmatic (Ionescu-Ruxăndoiu 2003). But there are linguistic elements which function as efficient markers of the illocutionary force (Austin 1962: 73-76), for example performative verbs, verbal moods and some adverbs. The criteria proposed by Searle in order to differentiate the illocutionary acts (illocutionary point of utterance, direction of fit, psychological state, intensity, etc.) resulted in the identification of several types inside this class. Searle's taxonomy serves the research purposes: the identification of illocutionary acts found in this kind of religious discourse and, finally, outlining a pattern of manifestation of the illocutionary force inside the sermon.
Biblical rhetoric : the art of religious dialogue
Journal for Semitics, 2009
This paper deals with the effect of speech upon the hearers and discusses the role of the verbal effect, known as rhetoric, on biblical religion. Furthermore, the paper claims that biblical rhetoric, as an argumentative discourse, is a manifestation of "democracy" in terms of the struggle between the proclamations of authority and the voice of human criticism that challenges the ultimate. Hence, the biblical speech is instrumental in forcing authority to explain or justify its deeds, therefore substituting the power of authority with a matter of rational human persuasion.
THE SPEECH ACTS THEORY APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATIVE ASPECTS OF THE EVANGELIC TEXTS
PhD student of the Transcarpathian State University (2010 -), research area: Linguistic Pragmatics, Communicaitve Linguistics. A PhD thesis is intended as an analysis of how the speech of the religious and theological communication can be interpreted in terms of functional-pragmatic linguistic paradygm. English teacher in the same University, and also in the Transcarpathian branch of the Kiev Slavonic University.
The Ethics of Obscene Speech in Early Christianity and Its Environment
Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches, 2010
e Ethics of Obscene Speech explores the rhetorical valence of obscenity as well as the arguments of those who would seek to control it. As Jeremy Hultin acknowledges, only a very few early Christian writers explicitly identified obscenity as a problem. Nevertheless, injunctions regarding the importance of decorous speech became ever more important, culminating in Clement of Alexandria's lengthy treatment of the topic. Offering a comprehensive account of foul language at it appears in ancient literature, comedy, poetry, graffiti, love charms and other sources, Hultin places early Christian rhetoric within a broad discursive context, cataloging the terms employed and arguments put forward by a wide spectrum of writers. e book also discusses the many warnings against obscene speech, which was associated with loose morals and a degraded character by philosophers and moralists. In the process, Hultin collects a treasure trove of literary evidence, offering new insights into Christian warnings against aischrologia (vulgar talk). Early Christian writers may not have agreed fully on the nature and consequences of an unbridled tongue, but, when they did address the problem, they adopted perspectives quite similar to those of their neighbors. e introductory chapter sets the stage by considering obscenity as a linguistic phenomenon. Displacement is fundamental to the identification of words as offensive-words are perceived as foul when they are used at the wrong place, at the wrong time, or in the wrong way-and avoidance of obscene speech therefore serves as a gauge of social status. Still, a witty riposte, employed at the right time against an opponent, or the ritual utterance of foul language, whispered, for example, to ward off the evil eye, were expected features of ancient discourse. Philosophers may have worried aloud about the impact of obscenity on the young, but foul language remained pervasive and popular. Next Hultin considers the importance of foul speech to group definition. e Pythagoreans, known for their masterful control of the tongue, can be fruitfully compared to Cynics, famous for their outrageous speech. Early Stoics also rejected the notion that words can be obscene: since language is part of nature, words related naturally to their objects, and simply speaking a word could pollute neither the speaker nor the audience. Beginning in the second century BCE, however, there was a perceptible shift in Stoic thought, away from an earlier emphasis on "natural" names and free speech, which could include vulgar words, and toward a disciplinary rhetoric emphasizing the importance of closely controlled speech patterns. As Seneca put it, "as the speech, so the life," and thus a true gentleman avoids unseemly vocabulary. Interestingly, a corresponding discussion of the use of obscenity is missing from Jewish writings. Instead the biblical books adopt a discreet, euphemistic vocabulary for sex acts, genitalia, defecation and masturbation and, though often explicit in content, prophetic metaphors carefully avoid offensive words. e rabbis also preferred euphemism to explicit description, though they were willing to apply foul language to descriptions of idolaters. In Jewish literature, then, the earliest direct warnings
Methodology, Speech, Society: The Hebrew Bible
Scriptura, 2013
The appearance of this book has been made possible by the input of a number of dear people who believed in the project and thus contributed to its accomplishment. I would like to thank Professor Hendrik Bosman, the Chairperson of the Department of Old and New Testament of the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, for his kindness and hospitality, and for being so trustworthy. Our numerous meetings and conversations have enriched my wife, Tzfira, and me. Spending time with his wife, Daléne, has shown us what a woman who is not only a teacher, but also a wife and mother, can achieve. The graduate Old Testament seminars, those Wednesday afternoon meetings, have been a source of inspiration to both Tzfira and me. In the course of the seminars, we have dealt with significant issues that gave birth to a number of the essays that are presented in this volume. Words of thanks to Liezel Meintjes, the chief editor at SUN MeDIA Stellenbosch, and her staff for their warmth and friendliness. Funlola Olojede took it upon herself to prepare the index, check the coherency of the manuscript, and edit skilfully some of the additions.