A speech act is an utterance that serves a function in communication. It is the basic unit of language used to express meaning, an utterance that expresses an intention. Normally, the speech act is a sentence, but it can be a word or phrase as long as it follows the rules necessary to accomplish the intention. In our daily life interactions, we perform a speech act whether through greeting, requesting, apologizing...etc. Speech act is generally associated with pragmatic equivalence. It is that approach which asserts that in a translation process what is said has to be translated in addition to what is meant. Philosophers who support this approach claim that without understanding the intention of the speaker, it is impossible …show more content…
The scope of pragmatics can then be defined in a manner that delimits it from grammar, and at the same time shows the fact that both fields combine together in a consistent framework for studying language. So in the process of understanding the meaning of a sentence, one should take care of pragmatics, not just grammar. This conclusion does not delete the importance of grammar in the development of language. That leads us to the overall conclusion: grammar and pragmatics contribute in the language use. One cannot totally depend on one field and neglect the other; each one of them has its importance. (Leech, 1983, p.14) Pragmatic equivalence is that kind of equivalence that stresses that what is said in the source language and in the target language must have the same effect on the listener or the reader. It is that kind that does not deal with a separate vocabulary; instead it links the whole stretch of talks to produce a meaningful and coherent unit. Pragmatic equivalence in translation stresses that what is said is completely translated in addition to what is meant. It is the study of purposes for which sentences are used, in the real world