Linguistics of saying studies language in its birth. Language is the mental activity executed by speaking subjects. It consists in analyzing speech acts as the result of an act of knowing. Speaking subjects speak because they have something to say; they say because they define themselves before the circumstance they are in; and this is possible because they are able to know. Speaking is speaking, saying and knowing. There is a progressive determination. Knowing makes possible saying, and saying determines speaking. The problem thus is to determine the intentional meaningful purpose of the individual speaker in every speech act.

Linguistics of saying is a proposal made by the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset, formulated by me in 2004 . It starts from language considered in its birth. Language is born whenever it is spoken. Language thus does not have concrete existence: it is mental activity, the creation of meanings; a particular language is something virtual, that is, linguistic knowledge, the knowledge of speakers to speak thus consisting in a technical knowledge; and speech is nothing but the intentional meaningful purpose of speakers. The only thing with concrete existence is speaking subjects, human beings as they execute the activity of speaking, which is not merely the use of words to create utterances but the activity consisting in speaking, saying and knowing things and the world constituted of things.

Human subjects speak because they have something to say. They say because they define themselves before the circumstance they are in, thus creating things and a world constituted of things. This is possible because they are able to know. Subjects apprehend and create things thus adding something new. Language thus consists of speaking, saying and knowing. In its deepest genesis knowing is first; then, saying, and finally, speaking. Speaking is nothing but the manifestation of both knowing and saying.

Speech acts are to be examined when created. Language manifests in speech acts. You can only verify speech acts, innumerable speech acts. They are entirely new, thus consisting of both utterances and the topics utterances deal with. Together with words they are the creation of contents or logos, or thought. Linguistics of saying analyses language out of contents. It consists thus in interpretation, hermeneutics, “the crossroads and mutual connection of different disciplines, linked together purposefully by a man’s self-reflection” .

Part Second:

Linguistics of saying was proposed by the philosopher Ortega y Gasset, who spoke from the point of view of philosophy. My development of his ideas consists in proposing and executing that theory within the limits of language and linguistics. Because of this I cannot propose other authors.