Though speech act theory ('Sprechhandlungstheorie') is the most advanced part of the study of language with respect to the role that language plays in reality, it is criticized for not yet being advanced enough in that respect: its method is a purely logical (or intuitive) analysis; it ignores the historical dimension of reality (in the Marxist sense); it ignores the cognitive psychological basis and the social use of language. S. proposes a 'speech activity theory' ('Sprechtätigkeitstheorie') that would avoid all those shortcomings.