Speech Acts

speech acts

describes actions such as asking questions, making requests, giving orders, making promises, giving advice, and making threats

speech act

is an utterance that a speaker makes to achieve an intended effect

locutionary act, illocutionary act, perlocutionary act

there are three types of acts in every utterance, given the circumstances or context

Locutionary Act

The actual act of uttering; the literal meaning of the utterance.

Illocutionary Act

The intention of the speaker when uttering the words.

Perlocutionary Act

The effect or result of the utterance to the thoughts of the listener

Locutionary Act

what kind of act is "Would you close the door?"

Please close the door.

In “would you close the door?” what is the illocutionary act

The listener will realize that there is a need to close the door and will do so

In "Would you close the door?” what is the perlocutionary act

The driver is saying he won’t start the bus with people standing in the doorway.

Locutionary Act: “This bus won’t move until you boys move in out of the doorway.”

An order for the boys to stay away from the doorway and move further into the bus.

Illocutionary Act: “This bus won’t move until you boys move in out of the doorway.”

The boys moving inside the bus

Perlocutionary Act: “This bus won’t move until you boys move in out of the doorway.”

The temperature in the room is relatively high

Locutionary Act: Woman (inside the waiting room): “It’s hot in here.”

The woman is requesting for someone to turn on the airconditoner

Illocutionary Act: Woman (inside the waiting room): “It’s hot in here.”

Someone getting up to turn on the airconditioner.

Perlocutionary Act: Woman (inside the waiting room): “It’s hot in here.”

Indirect Speech Acts

occur when there is no direct connection between the form and the utterance and the intended meaning.

Do you have the ability to pass the rice

Inferred speech act in “Could you pass the rice?”

please pass the rice

indirect speech act in “Could you pass the rice?”

performatives

which enable the speaker to perform something by uttering it. It is uttered by the right person at the right circumstances that results in change

performatives

what kind of statement is “I now pronounce you, man and wife.” (Austin)

assertives

a speaker expresses belief about the truth of a proposition e.g., suggesting, putting forward, swearing, boasting, and concluding

Directives

cause the hearer to take a particular action e.g., asking, ordering, requesting, inviting, advising, begging

Commissives

commit a speaker to some future action e.g., promising, planning, vowing, betting

Expressives

express the speaker’s feelings or emotional reactions e.g., thanking, apologizing, welcoming, and deploring

Declarations

bring a change in the external situation e.g., blessing, firing, baptizing, bidding, passing a sentence, and excommunicating

representatives

describe some state of affairs

directives

get the hearer to do or not to do something

commissives

commit the speaker to do some act

expressives

express the emotional state of the speaker

declarations

change the state of some entity

participants in a conversation are cooperating in an attempt to reach mutual goals – or at least pretending to do so.

Paul Grice proposed that many aspects of the speaker’s meaning result from the assumption that the

speaker meaning

sentence meaning + implicated meaning

to understand how speaker’s meaning rises from sentence meaning

what was Grice’s aim

communicators must be cooperative to achieve the purpose of communication

grice’s principle

cooperative

Conversation is a - behavior, and therefore proceeds by the rules of - conduct

maxim of quality

A good communicator must not say something that is untrue. Both the speaker and the listener must be truthful for effective communication.

maxim of quantity

A good communicator must provide the most helpful amount of information. They must not bombard the listener with too much details nor give insufficient information

maxim of relevance

A good communicator must be direct to the point and stick to the topic. They must be able to provide connection.

maxim of manner

A good communicator must not be vague and convey the clearest message possible. They must be orderly and not go around in circles when communicating