Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics
rhetic act [Grk 
‘subject of speech, matter; predicate’]
In J.L.Austin’s speech act theory, the performance of a phatic act in a manner that establishes the meaning of this act, whereby the meaning of such an act is determined, if one has established, (a) what is being talked about and (b) what is being said about it.
This term was replaced by J.R.Searle with the term ‘propositional act’ (
proposition) in his elaboration of Austin’s theory.
References
speech act theory
This is the complete article, containing 78 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
View More Summaries on J. L. Austin
