Can Records Speak for Themselves?

This article considers the applicability of speech act theory to archival science. A review of the literature suggests that the theory provides an interesting approach to the study of how records perform communicative acts, reflecting their creator's intentions, and have an effect on the reader. The theory's strengths, weaknesses and limitations are considered with reference to their implications for archival records. The works of Austin, Searle and Derrida are critiqued. Henttonen and Underwood's applications of this theory to archives are also evaluated. The author questions whether records contain sufficient internal contextual information to support speech acts or whether they rely on provenance. It is suggested that as a means to study communication, an analysis of speech act theory in archival science must always place participants and context centrally. The perlocutionary effects of records are also discussed.