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Speech acts are utterances that have performative function in communication, acting as more than just statements of fact. Example: Saying 'I promise to come' is both performing the act of promising and conveying the content of the promise.

An illocutionary act is the performance of an act in saying something, which carries a specific force like a promise, command, or assertion. Example: Stating 'I warn you to be careful' performs the act of warning.

A perlocutionary act involves the consequences or effects that an utterance has on a listener, such as persuading, frightening, or amusing them. Example: Convincing someone to believe a fact by saying 'I saw it with my own eyes'.

A locutionary act is the act of saying something with a specific meaning; it involves the act of utterance and the expression of a propositional content. Example: Saying 'It is raining' expresses a proposition about the weather.

The 'direction of fit' refers to the relationship between speech acts and the world – whether words are meant to fit the world (mind-to-world) or the world is to be changed to fit the words (world-to-mind). Example: A report vs. a command.

An indirect speech act is when an utterance performs one act but implies another. Typically, the listener must infer the intended meaning. Example: Saying 'It's cold in here' to imply 'Can you close the window?'

A speech act is felicitous if it meets certain conditions that allow it to achieve its intended effect, like appropriateness of context and speaker's authority. Example: A legal official declaring a court in session.

Performatives are utterances that perform an action merely by the act of their being said, without the need to describe a prior action. Example: Saying 'I apologize' actually performs the apology.

Infelicities are conditions when a speech act is unsuccessful or inappropriate due to wrong context, lack of authority, or other reasons. Example: A non-qualified person attempting to solemnize a marriage.

Assertive speech acts represent a statement or belief about the state of the world, aiming for the words to fit the world. Example: Asserting 'The cat is on the mat' as a statement of belief.

Searle's taxonomy classifies illocutionary speech acts into categories like assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations, each with a different purpose. Example: 'Promising' is a commissive act.

Regulative rules are rules that regulate pre-existing activities, guiding behaviors that already exist. Example: Etiquette for politely making requests or offering apologies.

Constitutive rules are rules that create or define new forms of behavior. For speech acts, these rules determine what counts as a valid instance of the act. Example: Rules defining what counts as a legally-binding promise.

Directive speech acts attempt to get the hearer to do something, like requests, commands, or suggestions. Example: Requesting 'Please shut the door' tries to elicit the action of closing the door.

Declarative speech acts bring about a change in the external situation by their utterance, often relying on a specific authority or context, like christenings or firing someone. Example: 'I now pronounce you husband and wife'.

Commissive speech acts commit the speaker to a future course of action, like promises or vows. Example: 'I will attend the meeting' commits the speaker to a future attendance.