What is a speech act?

Definition
	A speech act is an act that a speaker performs when making an utterance, including the following:
	A general act (illocutionary act) that a speaker performs, analyzable as including the uttering of words (utterance acts) making reference and predicating (propositional acts), and a particular intention in making the utterance (illocutionary force) An act involved in the illocutionary act, including utterance acts and propositional acts The production of a particular effect in the addressee (perlocutionary act)

Kinds
	Here are some kinds of speech acts:
	What is an illocutionary act? What is a perlocutionary act? What is a propositional act? What is an utterance act?

Generic
	A speech act is a kind of
	What is meaning and pragmatic function?

Sources
	Searle 1969 22–25
	Crystal 1985 285

Context for this page:

Concept module: speech act
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): S
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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