Speech Acts

Speech Acts — utterances that perform functions (requesting, apologising, complimenting, refusing) beyond their literal meaning — central to pragmatic competence and a major area of cross-cultural miscommunication.

Definition

Utterances that perform functions (requesting, apologising, complimenting, refusing) beyond their literal meaning — central to pragmatic competence and a major area of cross-cultural miscommunication.

In Depth

Utterances that perform functions (requesting, apologising, complimenting, refusing) beyond their literal meaning — central to pragmatic competence and a major area of cross-cultural miscommunication. This entry covers the key aspects of speech acts as they relate to second language acquisition, linguistics, and language education.

Related Terms

See also entries linked from the description above and the broader SLA glossary for related concepts.