Definition of speech act in US English:
speech act
nounˈspēCH ˌaktˈspitʃ ˌækt
Linguistics Philosophy An utterance considered as an action, particularly with regard to its intention, purpose, or effect.
Example sentencesExamples
- Here, the narration itself is a speech act which we may call ‘confession.’
- The sense of the pledge as debt implied by both translations suggests that the vow or promise is predicated on a loss already inscribed in the speech act.
- Second, writing allows a speech act to be extended in time and space; it ‘intends a context beyond the range of the human voice.’
- This, the families claim, means they have to get the state's approval before engaging in the speech act of teaching their own kids.
- Any speech act can be performed unconditionally, or conditionally upon something else.