speech acts

Speech acts is a term coined by the philosopher Searle, John. It designates the way that words do not merely convey information, but are initimately tied to action. For example, if you say "it's cold in here", it may simply be a statement of fact, however it also may be a request "please shut the door", or even remonstrance "why don't you shut the door when you come in". These meanings are at the pragmatic level of language interpretation.