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What is a locutionary act?

  • The actual utterance

  • The listener's reaction

  • The speaker's intention

  • The context of speech

Answer

A locutionary act is the actual utterance, the physical production of sounds or written words. It is the first level of speech act theory, which also includes illocutionary acts (the speaker's intention) and perlocutionary acts (the effect on the listener). The locutionary act is the basic building block of communication, and it is essential for understanding the meaning of an utterance.
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