Effective communication through speech goes over and above traditional definitions of linguistic patterns, genres, styles, literary trends or traditions. The intellective insight, feeling, psychological and historical vision of the context do not belong to any school, scientific or religious concept—they belong to the life of a speech agent at whom such communication act is oriented. In the twentieth century, ideas related to the ontology and the functions of speech led to the appearance of pragmatism, behaviourism and other theories exploring the functional aspect of human communication. However, only phenomenological hermeneutics still remains faithful to the exploration of the essence of all verbal communication that is "human life' in all its forms and representations.