Definition

1. Noun:
   • A communicative action performed through spoken or written language: A "speech act" is an utterance considered as an action, such as making a promise, giving an order, or making a request. It is the basic unit of analysis in the philosophy of language and linguistics, focusing on what people do with words.

Usage

• The term "speech act" is used to analyze language in terms of action and intention, rather than just meaning. It is primarily an academic term used in linguistics, philosophy, and communication studies.
• It is typically used as a countable noun (e.g., "a speech act," "several speech acts").

Examples

• Noun:
  • Saying "I promise to be there" is a speech act of promising.
  • The utterance "I now pronounce you husband and wife" is a performative speech act that changes the legal status of the individuals.
  • Linguists study how different speech acts, like apologies or requests, are structured across cultures.

Advanced Usage

• "Performative speech act": An utterance that itself constitutes the action it describes (e.g., "I apologize," "I resign").
  • When the judge says "Guilty," it is a performative speech act that officially establishes the defendant's guilt.
• "Indirect speech act": An utterance where the intended action is implied rather than directly stated (e.g., "It's cold in here" might be an indirect request to close a window).
  • Her question, "Can you pass the salt?" is typically an indirect speech act functioning as a polite request.

Variants and Related Words

• Speech act theory (n): The field of study, pioneered by philosophers J.L. Austin and John Searle, that analyzes utterances as acts.
  • Speech act theory helps us understand how language is used to do things.
• Illocutionary act (n): The core force or intention of a speech act (e.g., the act of promising, warning, or stating).
  • The illocutionary act of his statement was a warning.
• Perlocutionary act (n): The effect a speech act has on the listener (e.g., persuading, frightening, amusing).
  • The perlocutionary act of her story was to make everyone feel hopeful.

Synonyms

• Linguistic act: An act performed by means of language.
• Utterance act: The act of producing a meaningful utterance.

Related Concepts

• Locutionary act: The act of saying something with a specific meaning.
  • The locutionary act involves the literal meaning of the words.
• Felicity conditions: The conditions that must be met for a speech act to be successfully performed (e.g., the speaker must have the authority to perform it).
  • For the speech act of firing someone, a key felicity condition is that the speaker must be the employer.

Noun

1. the use of language to perform some act