Speech Act: Types and Classifications

Speech Act - A speech act is an utterance that a speaker makes to achieve an intended effect.

J.L. Austin's Three Types of Speech Act

According to J.L. Austin, a philosopher of language, there are three types of speech acts:

  1. Locutionary Act - This is the actual act of uttering words, phrases, and sentences.
    • Example: Saying the words "It's cold in here."
  2. Illocutionary Act - This refers to the social function of what is said. It's the intention behind the utterance.
    • Example: Intending to request someone to close the window by saying "It's cold in here."
  3. Perlocutionary Act - This is the resulting act or the effect of what is said on the listener. This effect is based on the particular context in which the speech act was mentioned.
    • Example: The listener, upon hearing "It's cold in here," closes the window.

Searle's Classifications of Speech Act

  1. Assertive - An act in which the speaker expresses belief about the truth of a proposition.
    • The function of an assertive is to tell what the speaker knows or believes.
    • Example: "The capital of France is Paris." or "I believe it will rain tomorrow."
  2. Directive - An act in which the speaker tries to make the addressee perform an action.
    • Example: "Close the door, please." or "Could you pass the salt?"
  3. Commissive - An act which commits the speaker to doing something in the future.
    • Example: "I promise to finish the report by Friday." or "I'll meet you at 3 PM."
  4. Expressive - An act in which the speaker expresses his/her feelings, reactions, or emotional states.
    • Example: "I'm so sorry for your loss." or "Congratulations on your promotion!"
  5. Declaration - An act which brings a change in the external situation.
    • It changes the state of the world in an immediate way.
    • Example: "I now pronounce you husband and wife." (uttered by an authorized person) or "I resign." (uttered by someone in a position to do so).