locutionary act: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Technical / Academic
Quick answer
What does “locutionary act” mean?
The basic act of producing a meaningful utterance. It is the act of saying something with a specific structure and sense, irrespective of the speaker's intent or the effect on the listener.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The basic act of producing a meaningful utterance. It is the act of saying something with a specific structure and sense, irrespective of the speaker's intent or the effect on the listener.
Within Speech Act Theory (philosophy of language), the locutionary act is the foundational component of any utterance, comprising the phonetic act (making sounds), the phatic act (uttering words in a grammatical structure), and the rhetic act (using those words with a specific sense and reference). It is distinguished from the illocutionary act (the intent, e.g., promising, warning) and the perlocutionary act (the effect, e.g., persuading, frightening).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or definitional differences exist. The term is used identically in academic discourse in both regions. Spelling follows the local convention for 'act' (same).
Connotations
Purely academic and theoretical; no cultural connotations.
Frequency
Exceedingly rare outside of specific fields like pragmatics, philosophy of language, and linguistics. Frequency is equally low in both UK and US academic writing.
Grammar
How to Use “locutionary act” in a Sentence
[Subject: Speaker] + performs/analyses/describes + [Direct Object: locutionary act] + (by uttering X).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “locutionary act” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The speaker locuted the phrase clearly.
- He was more concerned with locuting than with the effect.
American English
- The philosopher discussed what it means to locute.
- She locuted the sentence without any illocutionary force.
adverb
British English
- The sentence was analysed locutionarily.
- He spoke purely locutionarily, with no persuasive aim.
American English
- Considered locutionarily, the utterance was flawless.
- The act was successful locutionarily but failed illocutionarily.
adjective
British English
- The locutionary content was clear, but the intent was ambiguous.
- We must first examine the locutionary level.
American English
- A purely locutionary analysis ignores speaker intent.
- The locutionary meaning is derived from syntax and semantics.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Core term in pragmatics, linguistics, and philosophy of language courses and papers.
Everyday
Never used. Would be replaced by 'what he/she said'.
Technical
Used precisely to decompose the layers of meaning in human communication, especially in AI/NLP when modeling dialogue.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “locutionary act”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “locutionary act”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “locutionary act”
- Using it to mean 'eloquent speech' (confusion with 'eloquion').
- Confusing it with 'illocutionary act'. A common test question is to distinguish them.
- Using it in non-academic writing.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. A sentence is an abstract grammatical structure. A locutionary act is the event of *uttering* that sentence (or any meaningful linguistic form) in a specific context with a specific sense and reference.
Theoretically, yes, but it is often an analytical abstraction. In real communication, most utterances carry some illocutionary force (intent). Austin developed the concept to separate the 'meaning of the words' from the 'force of the utterance'.
Utterance: 'There's a spider on your shoulder.' Locutionary: stating the presence of an arachnid. Illocutionary: warning you. Perlocutionary: causing you to scream or brush your shoulder.
Only at a very advanced (C1/C2) level, specifically if studying linguistics, translation theory, or academic philosophy. For general English learning, understanding the basic idea of 'what is said' vs. 'what is meant' is valuable, but the precise term is not needed.
Locutionary act is usually technical / academic in register.
Locutionary act: in British English it is pronounced /ləˌkjuː.ʃən.ər.i ˈækt/, and in American English it is pronounced /loʊˌkjuː.ʃə.ner.i ˈækt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None. It is a technical term.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think LOCATION: A LOCUTIONary act is about locating the meaning in the words themselves, at the surface level of the utterance.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH IS A LAYERED STRUCTURE (with the locutionary act as the foundational layer/brick).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following best describes a locutionary act?