What term is used for an item that is an example of the function of making a polite request?

What term is used for an item that is an example of the function of making a polite request?

• A. Exponent
• B. Exemplar
• C. Sample
• D. Instance

Answer: (A)

In linguistic terms, the function of making a polite request is an illocutionary act, and the item that encodes that function in the actual spoken form is called the exponent. So a sentence like “Would you mind passing the salt?” serves as the exponent of the polite-request function because its form explicitly realizes that request. The other terms describe general examples or representations (exemplar, sample, instance) and don’t specifically name the linguistic form that realizes a particular communicative function. That’s why exponent is the best fit.