Locutionary, in the context of speech act theory, refers to the act of uttering a meaningful phrase or sentence. It's the basic act of producing a verbal utterance that has grammatical structure and a specific meaning, irrespective of the speaker's intent or the effect on the listener. It is the fundamental level of communication, concerned solely with the literal meaning of what is said, involving sounds, words, and grammatical structures. This contrasts with illocutionary (the intended effect) and perlocutionary (the actual effect) acts. Essentially, it's the *what* that is said, not the *why* or *what happens next*.
Locutionary meaning with examples
- During the presentation, the speaker's locutionary act was the statement, 'The sales figures increased by 15% last quarter.' This statement had a clear meaning, irrespective of whether the speaker intended to inform, persuade, or brag. The focus is on the words used and their meaning.
- The judge's locutionary act was, 'The defendant is found guilty.' The literal meaning of the sentence is clear, regardless of the judge's feelings or the defendant's reaction. This is the first of three steps in determining how to interpret the sentence.
- A simple greeting, like 'Hello,' constitutes a locutionary act. The sounds and words are uttered in a standard way with grammatical meaning. Other actions must be taken into account to gain the fuller intent.
- The locutionary act of the weather report was, 'It will rain tomorrow.' The words alone provide the basic information. Further analysis may reveal illocutionary and perlocutionary components, such as a warning of a weather hazard.