Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Illocutionary Act

Definition: 

An illocutionary act is a complete speech act, made in a typical utterance, that consists of

  • the delivery of the propositional content of the utterance (including references and a predicate), and
  • a particular illocutionary force, whereby the speaker
    • asserts
    • suggests
    • demands
    • promises, or
    • vows.