illocution

Illocution refers to the illocutionary act—the performative function of an utterance as opposed to its literal meaning (locution) or its effects on listeners (perlocution). It is a core concept of speech act theory, introduced by J. L. Austin and developed by John Searle. An illocution is what the speaker intends to accomplish by speaking: making a claim, asking a question, giving a command, offering an apology, or making a promise, among others. These functions are called illocutionary forces, and they may be expressed overtly or implied through context, tone, or conventional means.

Examples: "I apologize" expresses an apology (expressive illocution); "Please close the door" is a directive; "I will pay you tomorrow" is a commissive; "This painting is a masterpiece" is a representative; "She was found guilty" is a verdictive. Indirect speech acts blur the line between form and function, as a sentence may have the syntactic form of a question but the illocutionary force of a request.

Felicity conditions govern successful illocutions: the speaker intends the act, has the authority, and the social context supports it; otherwise the utterance may be infelicitous or misunderstood. Illocutionary analysis remains a foundational tool in linguistics, pragmatics, and discourse studies, highlighting how language performs actions in social interaction.