Commentary contrasts inner speech and self-talk, revealing how different cognitive mechanisms influence speech acts.
In this commentary, I compare inner speech and self-talk. First, I argue that the question of whether we can perform speech acts in inner speech can also be raised with regard to self-talk. Second, I hypothesize that different cognitive mechanisms are employed (to different degrees) in I-centered self-talk and you-centered self-talk. Third, I argue that certain functions of self-directed speech may be better served by I-centered self-talk and others by you-centered self-talk.
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Nikola Anna Kompa (2025) studied this question.
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