A speech act is an act that a speaker performs when making an utterance, including the following:
- A general act (illocutionary act) that a speaker performs, analyzable as including:
- the uttering of words (utterance acts)
- making reference and predicating (propositional acts), and
- a particular intention in making the utterance (illocutionary force)
- An act involved in the illocutionary act, including utterance acts and propositional acts
- The production of a particular effect in the addressee (perlocutionary act)