linguistic act

[lɪŋˈɡwɪstɪk ækt]
nounpl: linguistic acts
ato linguístico
1. Any utterance or expression produced by a speaker as a unit of communication; an instance of language use with communicative intent
The linguistic act of greeting someone with 'Hello' conveys both meaning and social protocol.
O ato linguístico de cumprimentar alguém com 'Olá' transmite tanto significado quanto protocolo social.
2. In linguistics and philosophy of language, a discrete communicative event involving the production of sounds, words, or sentences to express meaning
Every linguistic act requires a speaker, an addressee, and a context of communication.
Todo ato linguístico requer um falante, um destinatário e um contexto de comunicação.
3. A speech act or utterance analyzed as a unit of linguistic behavior with pragmatic significance
A promise is a linguistic act that carries social and legal implications.
Uma promessa é um ato linguístico que carrega implicações sociais e legais.
This is primarily an academic and linguistic term used in linguistics, philosophy of language, and communication studies in both English-speaking countries and Brazil. It is fundamental to understanding pragmatics and how language functions in real-world contexts beyond its grammatical structure.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
speech actutterancelinguistic performancecommunicative actverbal act
Antonyms / Antônimos
linguistic competencesilencenon-linguistic behavior

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
ato linguístico
Standard term used in linguistic studies and academic contexts
Rio de Janeiro
ato linguístico
Standard academic usage, no significant regional variation
São Paulo
ato linguístico
Preferred term in academic and publishing sectors
Portugal
ato linguístico
Equivalent term, though 'acto linguístico' may be used with older spelling conventions

Related Words

pragmaticssemanticsspeech act theorydiscourseutterancelocutionillocutionperlocution

Related Idioms & Phrases

speech act
language in use
communicative event
language performance
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