Speech Act (Noun)
Meaning
The use of language to perform some act.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The apology was a speech act that changed the tone of the entire conversation.
- In making a promise, one is performing a speech act that commits them to a future action.
- When the minister pronounced the couple husband and wife, it was a speech act that had significant legal and social implications.
- The judge's gavel came down with the speech act "I find you guilty," and the defendant's fate was sealed.
- The phrase "I resign" can be a speech act that effectively ends one's employment when uttered in the correct context.