LEARNING THE TYPES OF SPEECH ACT

Speech Act – are the speaker’s utterances which convey meaning and make listeners do
specific things (Austin, 1962).
According to Austin (1962), when saying a performative utterance, a speaker is
simultaneously doing something.

“I am hungry.”
-expresses hunger
-requests for something to eat

The contemporary use of the term goes back to J. L. Austin's development of performative
utterances and his theory of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts.

a. Locutionary Speech Act – this act happens with the utterance of a sound, a word, or
even phrase as a natural unit of speech. Locutionary act is that it has a sense, and
most importantly, for the Communication to take place, has the same meaning to
both the Speaker and the Listener. In fact, the utterance gives rise to shared meaning
when it is adjusted by the Speaker for the Listener.
It occurs when the speaker performs an utterance (locution), which has a meaning
in the traditional sense.
Example: What? (when someone is surprised)
It’s a bird! (when referring to Superman)

b. Illocutionary Speech Act – It is not just saying something itself but the act of saying
something with the intention of:

Stating an opinion, confirming, or denying something;

Making a prediction, a promise, a request
Issuing an order or a decision; or
Giving advice or permission.

This Speech act uses the Illocutionary force of a statement, a confirmation, a denial,
a prediction a promise, a request, etc.

Example: There’s too much homework in this subject, (opinion)

I’ll do my homework later, (promise)
Go do your homework! (order)

c. Perlocutionary Speech Act – this is seen when a particular effect is sought from either
the Speaker, the Listener, or both. The response may not necessarily be physical or
verbal and is elicited by:

Inspiring or insulting
Persuading/convincing; or
Deterring/scaring

The aim of Perlocutionary Speech Act is to change feelings, thoughts, or actions.

Example: I was born of a Filipino, I will live a Filipino, I will die a Filipino! (inspiring)
It is the bleak job situation that forces Filipinos to find jobs overseas
(persuading)
Texting while driving kills – you, your loved ones, other people (deterring)
Performatives
Austin also introduced the concept of performative utterances: statements which
enable the speaker to perform something just by stating it. In this manner, verbs that execute
the speech that they intend to effect are called performatives. A performative utterance
said by the right person under the right circumstances result in a change in world. Note that
certain conditions have to be met when making a performative utterance.

For example, the phrase “ I now pronounce you husband and wife”, when uttered by
an authorized person such as priest/judge will have the actual effect of binding a couple in
marriage. However if the same is statement is uttered to the same couple in the same place
by someone who is not authorized to marry them then there is no effect whatsoever
because a condition was not met.

As a response to Austin’s Speech Act Theory, John Searle (1976), a professor from the
University of California, Berkeley, classified Illocutionary acts into five distinct categories.

1. Assertive – in which the speaker belief about the truth of a proposition.

Example: No one makes better pancakes than I do.

2. Directives – in which the speaker tries to make the addressee perform an action.
Example: Please close the door.

3. Commissive – in which the speaker commits to doing something in the future.

Example: From now on, I will participate in our group activity.

4. Expresive – in which the speaker expresses his/her feelings or emotional reactions.

Example: I am sorry for not helping out in our group projects and letting you do all the
work.

5. Declaration – which brings a change in the external situation. Simply put, declarations
bring into existence or cause the state of affairs which they refer to.
Example: You are fired!
By saying that someone is fired, an employer causes or brings about the person’s
unemployment, thus changing his external situation.

Always keep in mind that speech acts include concrete life interaction that require the
appropriate use of language within a given culture. Communicative competence (i.e. the
ability to use linguistic knowledge, to effectively communicate with others) is essentially for a
speaker to be able to use and understand speech acts. Idioms and other nuances in a
certain language might lost or misunderstand by someone who does not fully grasp the
language yet.

Identify the illocutionary act (intention) in each item:

1. A friend says to another friend, “Why don’t you like to sing?”
2. A father says to his child, “Why don’t you spend less time watching TV?”
3. A child says to her playmate, “Yippee! Cookies!”
4. A doctor says to a patient, “I advise you to stop smoking.”
5. One secretary says to another, “My daughter is getting married in August.”
6. A priest says over an infant, “I baptize you in the name of…”
7. A passerby says to a motorist with a flat tire, “Let me help you with that.”
8. A mother says to her daughter, “Who washed the dishes?”
9. A woman says to someone next to her at the grocery store, “It’s going to be a very windy day.”
10. A police officer says to a young man who was speeding, “You’re under arrest.”
11. A coach says to a team member, “Way to go!”
12. A teenage boy says to another teenage boy, “Go ahead!”
13. An umpire says, “Strike three!”
14. One friend says to another, “I swear I won’t see Martha again.”
15. A parent says to her child, “I forbid you to leave your room.”