Illocutionary Act – a sentence that contains the performance of an action, usually recognized institutionally or socially (in the very act of pronouncing the relevant words in appropriate circumstances – “I baptize you Peter”, the priest performs the ritual of baptism);
Illocutionary Force – the dimension or aspect of an utterance that tends to an action.
In everyday life, many of our speeches tend to be action-packed. For example, promises or threatening threats, congratulations, instructions, etc.
The effect of speech on the listener or addressee is called perlocutionary force. Thus, when the speaker says “I’m tired” and the listener or recipient correctly understands this as “Let’s go home,” the listener may feel irritated or even resentful. This feeling will be the perlocutionary force of speech.
