Liturgical Speech Acts: How to Do Things with Words in Worshi

This dissertation provides a theoretical account of the function of language in corporate worship using the descriptive categories of speech act theory. My thesis is that language used in the context of corporate worship functions differently than language used in other contexts by leveraging particular illocutionary force(s) in liturgical speech. These liturgical speech acts are multiple, simultaneous, irreducible illocutionary acts. Liturgical speech acts in corporate worship are leveraged toward the perlocutionary effect of spiritual formation.;Chapter one introduces the core concepts of speech act theory through a survey of Austin and Searle followed by the theologians who have utilized speech act theory for hermeneutics. The examples of critical appropriation by Vanhoozer and Wolterstorff inform the method of appropriation that will be demonstrated in chapter two. Chapter one concludes by surveying critical reception of speech act theory within the evangelical community.;Chapter two interacts with Searle's taxonomy of illocutionary acts and contributes to speech act theory and liturgical language by critiquing Searle's limitations and proposing unique liturgical speech acts. This contribution is established by a review and evaluation of Searle's taxonomy of illocutionary speech acts and their usefulness in examining liturgical speech. After Searle's categories are considered and appropriated theologically, the "Christian social imaginary" is proposed as the most compelling explanation of the "Background of meaning" for liturgical speech. Once these foundations have been established, a new taxonomy of specifically liturgical speech acts is introduced with the articulation of "Celebrative," "Participative," and "Re- presentative" illocutionary acts.;The third chapter demonstrates the richness of meaning found in examining the ordo by highlighting significant parts of each movement using the categories of speech act theory and the three proposed liturgical speech acts. Examples are provided of liturgical speech acts in the "Gathering" for corporate worship. The second element, "Word," is examined in terms of both public reading of Scripture and preaching, including interaction with Sam Chan's work in preaching and speech act theory. Third, the "Table" elements are examined, including interaction with Mary Patton Baker's monograph on participation and the Eucharist, with implications for further research. Finally, the "Sending" elements in corporate worship are examined as liturgical speech acts.;Chapter four narrows the focus of liturgical speech acts to congregational singing. The components of congregational song are explored and the irreducible illocutionary activity of corporate singing is described. Both the lyrical content and the musical content (aesthetics) have illocutionary force, and congregational singing combines the intentions of author, composer, singers, and hearers in ways that demonstrate the usefulness of liturgical speech acts.;The fifth chapter proposes several implications of liturgical speech acts and areas for further research. One such area for research is the problem of "perlocutionary anticipation"--- because we cannot control how a hearer will respond to an illocutionary act, we may only anticipate the intended response, and may examine the effectiveness of the illocutionary act only in retrospect. This chapter draws attention to the importance of understanding formation in corporate worship and the role that liturgical speech acts may play in encouraging intentionally biblical and theologically sound use of language in corporate worship.