(1911–60), English philosopher; full name John Langshaw Austin. A careful exponent of linguistic philosophy, he pioneered the theory of speech acts, pointing out that utterances can be used to perform actions as well as to convey information.
Definition of Austin, J. L. in US English:
Austin, J. L.
proper nounˈôstən
(1911–60), English philosopher; full name John Langshaw Austin. Notable works: Sense and Sensibilia and How to Do Things with Words (both 1962).