lokutionärer

Lokutionärer, in English locutionary, is a term used in linguistics and philosophy of language to designate the locutionary component of a speech act: the act of producing an utterance with its conventional linguistic meaning and phonetic form. The concept originates with J. L. Austin’s theory of speech acts, most prominently presented in How to Do Things with Words, where speech acts are analyzed as a sequence of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts.

Locutionary acts involve the actual utterance and its literal sense: for example, saying “It’s raining” corresponds to the sound and words that express the proposition that it is raining. Illocutionary acts concern the force of the utterance—the speaker’s intended function, such as asserting, questioning, or commanding. Perlocutionary acts are the effects on the listener or situation, such as convincing, persuading, or scaring someone.

The term lokutionärer is used in German-language linguistics and philosophy in parallel to the English locutionary. In analyses, the locutionary component is often viewed as carrying the conventional or literal meaning, while pragmatics addresses the illocutionary force and the contextual factors that influence interpretation. Critics note that natural language often blends these components, and the boundaries between locutionary content and illocutionary force can be fluid in real conversational use.