A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of speech acts in international journals (2013–2023)

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of speech acts within international scholarly periodicals spanning over a period of 11 years. Employing a quantitative approach, the study utilizes CiteSpace, a powerful bibliometric tool, to discern and examine emerging patterns, novel trends, and the pivotal themes inherent to the realm of speech acts as portrayed in international journals. The results shed light on the nuanced variations in these themes across various regions, including China, the United States, and England, encompassing a spectrum of multidisciplinary fields such as Engineering, psychology, environmental sciences, linguistics, and literature. While prior research has predominantly focused on the thematic aspects of language, linguistics, and philosophy, this study emphasizes the emergence of new trends within the integrated domains of artificial intelligence and language sciences. Overall, this study tends to highlight the need to integrate the novel approaches, computer science and deep learning with the linguistic perspective in speech act studies.

Keywords

• Bibliometric analysis
• speech acts
• language
• CiteSpace
• trends
• visualization