Language is much more than a simple code for exchanging information. It isfirst and foremost used to interact with one another through the performanceof actions such as warning about a state of affairs (Your train isleaving in five minutes), asking a question (When doesyour train leave?), wishing someone good luck (Have anice trip!), telling someone what to do (Show me yourtrain ticket). These actions, which are accomplished by meansof written or spoken utterances, are called ‘speech acts’(SAs), following the tradition in linguistic pragmatics and the philosophyof language.