speech act
/ˈspiːtʃ ˌækt/
an utterance that performs an action (promising, apologizing, ordering)
speech act in a sentence
“Saying 'I do' in a wedding is a speech act that creates marriage.”
Origin of speech act
Technical term from J.L. Austin (1962)
Related Words
common ground
shared knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions between communicators
turn-taking
the system by which speakers alternate in conversation
maxim of quantity
provide as much information as needed, but not more
maxim of relevance
make contributions relevant to the current exchange
maxim of manner
be clear, brief, and orderly; avoid obscurity and ambiguity
presupposition
something assumed to be true for an utterance to make sense