Speech act
An action performed through language, such as promising, threatening, requesting, or commanding. Speech acts have a communicative intention beyond their literal meaning.
Real World
When a judge says 'I sentence you to five years', the utterance itself performs the sentencing — it is not a description of an action but the action itself, making it a performative speech act.
Exam Focus
Distinguish locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary force — examiners reward precise use of Austin's three-level framework.
How well did you know this?