Speech Acts

Direct and Indirect Speech Acts

- There is a beer in the fridge.
- drink and help himself
Indirect: the speaker means s.t. different from the literal
meaning
Direct: the speaker means the same as what is the literal
meaning performative verbs: order, suggest, etc.

Examples:
Sentence
The garbage isnt out yet.

Speech
Act
Request

Direct/
indirect
Indirect

Could you take out the garbage?

Request

Indirect

Would you mind taking out the

garbage?
Are you in charge of the garbage?

Request

Indirect

Request

Indirect

Please take out the garbage

Request

Direct

I request you to take out the

garbage.

Request

Direct

Felicity conditions (conditions where SA can

work properly)
Austin 3 conditions:
1. Generally accepted procedure wedding
2. Procedure must be carried out correctly and
completely. priest: I pronounce you.
Bride and groom: yes, I do
3. The person has the required thoughts, feelings and
intentions

Basically: communications must be by right person, in

the right place, at the right time and with a certain
intention.
Searle proposes 3 criteria S.A. work
1. The purpose of the utterance
2. The direction of fit
3. The amount of belief the speaker has in what they
say.

5 types of S.A.
Representatives: commit the speaker to the truth of a
particular proposition asserting
ex. I went to Jakarta yesterday.
2. Directives: attempt to get someone to do something
ordering
ex. Kiss me, please.
3. Commisives: commit the speaker to future course of
action promise
4. Expressives: express a particular psychological state
apologising, congrating
5. Declarations: bring about an immediate change in a state
of affairs excommunicating
ex. Will you marry me?
1.