Speech Act Theory Overview

Speech Act Theory

• Speech acts are utterances that speakers use to achieve an intended effect
• They can encompass one word or several sentences
• J.L. Austin (1962) identified three types of acts in every utterance
• These acts are locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary

Locutionary Act

• The basic act of producing sounds or writing sentences
• Simply the act of saying something
• Example: "It is raining outside." - simply stating a fact

Illocutionary Act

• The intended social function behind the words
• Beyond simply stating something, it involves requesting, promising, apologizing, or commanding
• Example: "Please do the dishes." - a request for the addressee to wash dishes

Perlocutionary Act

• The resulting action caused by what is said
• Based on the specific context, leading to a change
• Example: "Please do the dishes." - leading to dish washing

Indirect Speech Acts

• Occur when the form of the utterance doesn't directly relate to the intended meaning
• Differ in force (intention) from the inferred speech act
• Example: "Can you pass the rice?" - the inferred speech act is "Do you have the ability to hand over the rice?", and indirect speech act is "Please pass the rice."

Performative Utterances

• Statements used to perform an action through simply stating it
• The utterance must be made by the right person, under the right circumstances, to bring about a change in the world
• Examples: "I now pronounce you husband and wife." or "I sentence you to ten years imprisonment."

Types of Illocutionary Acts (Based on Searle's Classification)

• Assertive: Expressing belief about the truth of a proposition ("The Earth is round.")
• Directive: To make the addressee perform an action ("Give me the book.")
• Commissive: The speaker commits to doing something in the future ("I will call you.")
• Expressive: Expressing feelings or emotional reactions ("I'm sorry for your loss.")
• Declaration: Brings about a change in the external situation ("I now pronounce you husband and wife.")

Communicative Competence

• The ability to use linguistic knowledge to effectively communicate with others
• Essential for using and understanding speech acts

Additional Examples

• Locutionary Act: "It's cold in here."
• Illocutionary Act: Indirect request to increase the temperature.
• Perlocutionary Act: The addressee increases the temperature