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.