How did ordinary language philosophy use everyday speech to investigate philosophical problems?

Ordinary language philosophy is a trend in analytic philosophy that seeks to resolve philosophical perplexity by identifying how such problems arise from the misuse or misunderstanding of everyday speech.12

Proponents like Gilbert Ryle and J.L. Austin argued that philosophical confusion often stems from misapplying language. Rather than attempting to construct an ideal language, these philosophers believed that the inherited categories and distinctions embedded in ordinary speech serve as the best guide to philosophical truth.324

For example, Ryle argued in The Concept of Mind that the mind-body problem arises from a "category mistake," where mental terms are incorrectly treated as if they denote invisible entities analogous to physical bodies. By "charting the logical geography" of how these terms function in daily life, he aimed to dissipate such conceptual confusion. Similarly, Austin emphasized that because ordinary language has evolved to make essential distinctions over eons, it provides a vital starting point for investigating complex issues like responsibility and the nature of truth.42