"Is there any salt?" meant as "Please pass the salt" shows the:

1. The question "Is there any salt?" is the actual utterance. 2. That utterance itself is the locutionary act. 3. The implied request "Please pass the salt to me" is what the speaker does by saying it. 4. What the speaker does in speaking is the illocutionary act. 5. The perlocutionary act would be the effect, such as the listener passing the salt. 6. So the implied request is the illocutionary act. **Why the other options fail:** - The locutionary act is only the literal question. - The perlocutionary act is the listener's reaction, not the implied request. - The metalocutionary act refers to the discourse itself. _Source: Wikipedia, "Speech act", section "Overview" (revision 1377995517)_