In the one defence, briefly, we accept responsibility but deny that it was bad: in the other, we admit that it was bad but don't accept full, or even any, responsibility.

169-92. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society. Fann K.

Prior to Austin the attention of linguistic and analytic philosophers had been directed almost exclusively to statements assertions and propositions — to linguistic acts that (at least in theory) have truth-value. John Langshaw "J. " Austin (26 March 1911 – 8 February 1960) was a British philosopher of language.