Illocutionary Acts: Assertive & Directive

• Illocutionary acts are actions performed by uttering words.
• They are categorized based on the speaker's intention.
• The five main categories of illocutionary acts are: Assertive, Directive, Commissive, Declarative, and Expressive.

Assertive

• Represents the speaker's belief about something.
• Commits the speaker to the truth of the expressed proposition.
• Examples: stating, suggesting, boasting, complaining, claiming, concluding, reporting, affirming, informing, hypothesizing, describing.
• Involves conveying information.
• Focuses on the speaker's conviction.
• Aims to reflect reality as the speaker sees it.
• Can be judged as true or false.

Directive

• Aims to make the hearer do something, or make an attempt to follow an action.
• Expresses what the speaker wants.
• Examples: ordering, requesting, questioning, advising, begging, commanding, daring, inviting, forbidding, suggesting.
• Intended to influence the hearer's behavior.
• The speaker tries to get the hearer to perform some action.
• Effectiveness depends on the speaker's authority and the hearer's willingness.

Commissive

• Commits the speaker to some future course of action.
• Expresses the speaker's intention.
• Examples: promising, threatening, offering, guaranteeing, vowing, pledging, betting.
• Creates an obligation for the speaker.
• Requires sincerity from the speaker to fulfill the commitment.
• Binds the speaker to a certain behavior in the future.

Declarative

• Changes the state of affairs in the world.
• Brings about a new state of reality by uttering it.
• Examples: declaring war, baptizing, firing from employment, nominating, resigning, marrying, sentencing.
• Requires specific authority and context to be effective.
• The speaker must have the power to perform the declaration.
• Usually performed in special circumstances.

Expressive

• Expresses the speaker's feelings or attitude about something.
• Conveys a psychological state.
• Examples: apologizing, thanking, congratulating, condoling, praising, blaming, regretting, welcoming.
• Relates to the speaker's experience.
• Often involves social conventions and politeness.
• Aims to express the speaker's emotions.

Explanation of illocutionary acts with focus on assertive and directive types. Assertive acts convey the speaker's beliefs, while directive acts aim to influence the listener's actions.