“Illocutionary Acts in Barack Obama’s Speech in Illinois University as The

Former President: Critical Discourse Analysis”.

Mohammad Syafa’at
Department Of English Language Education, Faculty of Education
Hasyim Asy’ari University
syafaattebuireng@gmail.com
Bambang Yulianto
Department Of English Language Education, Faculty of Education
Hasyim Asy’ari University
Elisa Nurul Laili
Department Of English Language Education, Faculty of Education
Hasyim Asy’ari University

Abstract
In this research, the writer discusses the use of illocutionary acts in the
utterance of Obama’s speech in Illinois University. The aims of this research
are to find out types of Illocutionary Acts and messages of speech which
deliver by Obama’s Speech. and to understand interpretation of the dialogue
between speaker and hearer that use Illocutionary acts which are selected by
the writer.
The writer uses classified the data analysis method. The writer collects
the data from the script, then describes types of illocutionary acts and explain
the messages include in utterances. Based on the theories provided, the data are
analyzed one by one to know the context and types of illocutionary acts used.
To focus on the study, the writer limits problem just focused on types of
illocutionary acts and the messages of the utterances. Based on the finding and
discussion that answered to first problem questions above the researcher was
found 14 utterance used to illocutionary acts theory. There are assertives acts
was found 5 utterances, directives acts was found 3 utterances, expressive acts
was found 3 utterance, commisives acts 3 utterances and declaration was found
1 utterance. In this research the utterance most used by Obama’s speech is
assertive which is 5 utterances.
The context of Obama’s speech about Democracy. So in this speech have
many assertives utterances. Based on the explanation above, the writer
concluded that assertive of stating and commisives of an offering is mostly
used by Obama's speech.

Keywords : Illocutionary Acts, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).

1
INTRODUCTION
Speech is the ability to
public speaking to expressed
opiniions and gave ideas about
somethings. Speeches express
thought in the forms of words
directed people or discourse
prepareed to be spoken in front of
audience. An idea can be
conveyed in the speech on the
right when languages that is good
and easily to understanding for
the audience.
The author considers
Obama's speech as the object of
research because he is brilliant.
Obama is the former president of
the United States. He is one of
the best presidents in the world.
He is a president who has high
charisma and his speech can
hypnotize his audience. He has
touching and meaningful
speeches. Barack Obama is a fair
leader for Americans, as
evidenced during the eight years
of Barack Obama's leadership,
America has become a country
stronger than before,
democratic crisis or social crisis
in America such as racial
violence, black American
injustice in America.
Barack Obama is a highly
respected president in the eyes of
the world, he also defends
Muslims in America. He also
united the religion and race of
America. Barack Obama also
eliminates America's global
reputation in the eyes of the
world; countries know which
countries are very unfair, cruel to
other countries.Barack Obama's
life was difficult after his father,
Barack Hussein, came from
Kenya who had three other
wives, his mother, Stanley Ann
Dunham, married Lolo Soetoro,
and they decided to move to
Indonesia, after living in
Indonesia and attending Asisi
Elementary School. Jakarta,
Obama chose to return to Hawaii
to live with his grandparents, and
when Barack Obama found his
new life. As someone who is
intelligent and critical, Barrack
Obama continued his education
at California University,
Colombia University graduated
in 1983 and Harvard University
Cambridge, graduated in 1991.
Barack Obama grew into a
democracy and activist in
America.
In this study, researchers did
not forget to remind that the
historical record that Obama had
lived and studied in Indonesia
precisely in Asisi Primary
a
School in Jakarta when Obama
learned that he wanted to become
president and finally dreamed of
Barack Obama at that age. He
became the first black United
States president in the United
States the American Democratic
Party supported him.
After serving for two periods
(8 years) The Former President
Barack Obama is now back in the
political arena with the same
enthusiasm when he became
President of the United States,
2
precisely on Friday, November 8,
2018. The former American
president again gave a speech
reflecting democratic congestion
and partisan upheaval what he
believes has marked the United
States since President Donald
Trump replaced him in office
more than a year and a half ago.
Obama said if a country
wants to have a strong
democracy, the only way is to
fight the democratic state today,
which is to participate in justice
and participation in democratic
elections. Obama also said that
he is now an ordinary citizen.
According to him as a fellow
citizen, he said that this good
democracy would run depending
on the people who took part.
Then, the researcher has a
purpose to study a problem
related to speech acts of Barack
Obama’s speech with the title:
“Illocutionary Acts in Barack
Obama’s Speech in Illinois
University as The Former
President: Critical Discourse
Analysis”.
Discourse discusses about the
way discourse able to generate
and present the result about
relations of power and
dissimilarity of the text (Wodak
& Meyer, 2011: 123). One of
fundamental assignment of
Critical Discourse Analysis
(CDA) is clarifying Van Dijk
about the relations between
discourse and social power. In
his theory, Van Dijk explains
3
that social power is the one of
three dimensions that gives
influence in discourse there are
social cognition and text (Van
Dijk, 1995).
There are social matters, power
relations, community and culture,
doing ideological perform,
historical perspective, the relations
of text and community is interceded,
interpretative and expository and
forming social action. The tenets of
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
especially in Van Dijk will be
explained more in this study.
The primary participles of
Critical discourse analysis
according to Fairclough and
Wodak’ explanation (1997: 271-
280) are:
1. Critical discourse analysis
intents that social matter
possess linguistic characteristic
of social and cultural
compositions and customs.
2. Power relation refers to
discourse power that operates
and negotiates through
language.
3. Discourse society culture refers
to discourse which constitutes
the part of social reflection and
reproduces them all.
4. Ideologies refer to the way to
represent and construct the
relation of power society such
as dominate relation, gender
and culture.
5. Discourse cannot be produced
without inter-textual and
social-culture knowledge.
6. Critical discourse analysis able
to develop the social, cultural
contexture and steps of the text.
7. Critical discourse analysis
emphasizes the view of
interpretative and expository
text of recent information.
Critical discourse analysis
presents modification out of
communication and social
power use.
The primary principles of
critical discourse analysis (CDA)
are many. There are social
matters, power relations,
community and culture, doing
ideological perform,
According to (Koller & Searle,
2006) Speech acts in philosophy,
states that in practice using
language there are at least three
types of speech acts. The following
are three types of speech acts that
can be explained as follows:
locutionary actions, illocutionary
actions, and perlocutionary actions.
1) Locutionary action is the act
of speaking with words,
phrases, and sentences,
according to the meanings
contained in those words,
phrases and sentences. This
act of speaking can be called
an act of saying something.
2) Illocutionary action is the act
of doing something with a
particular purpose and
function. The act of
speaking can be considered
as the act of doing
something.
3) Perlocutionary actions are
the effect of follow-up
4
(effects) on the listener. This
talk of action can be called
the act of influencing
someone
.
METHODOLOGY
This research used descriptive
qualitative method. The researcher
described the data by illocutionary
acts theory. In this analysis, the
researcher analyzed about
illocutionary acts used in Obama’s
speech. The data was taken by
transcript. The researcher use the
following procedures of collecting
data: Researcher watches to the video
and read the transcript of Barack
Obama’s speech.
1) Researcher identifies the types of
illocutionary acts in Barrack
Obama’s speech.
2) Researcher makes notes to
identifies types of illocutionary
act used by Barack Obama’s
speech.
3) Researcher classifies datas script,
includes types of Illocutionary
acts
4) Researcher analyze the transcript
with illocutionary acts theoretics
by Searle.
The steps of analyzing data are:
Firstly the transcript from Barrack
Obama’s speech. The researcher
identifying data found in Barrack
Obama’s speech transcript, it help the
researcher to analysis the data
comprehensively. Second classifies
the data based on the research
questions. Classifying the data related
to the Searle theory on this step the
data are marked with bolded text.
Third the researcher describes the data
based on the messages. In this step the
researcher analyze the mesages and
contextual meaning which underlying
Barrack Obama’s speech utterances to
know the real meaning about the
utterances. And fourth the data
analyze, group into their own types of
indicators. Analyze data with the
features related with the theories. Fifth
the researcher describes and interpret
the data in order to answer the research
questions. And the last researcher
makes conclusion, after the researcher
finishing the research, the researcher
makes conclusion. The conclusion
explains the result of the research.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
1. Types of Illocutionary Acts
a. Assertives
Assertives is the form said that
binds speakers at the truth of a
proposition disclosed. Here are
kinds of assertives. 1). Stating, 2)
Suggesting 3) Boasting, 4)
Complaining 5) Claiming.
1) Stating
This sentence refers to
Obama’s Friends. This utterance is
categorized as Assertive (Stating).
It can be seen that Obama stating
he had many good friends in
Illinois. He said have a bunch of
good friends. One of his best
friends is the senator Dick Durbin
who attended the audience in
Obama's speech. The sentence was
illocutionary acts (stating) because
Obama mentioned the fact that he
had many good friends in the
Illinois City. He also mentioned
that one of his best friends was
senator, Dick Durbin.
5
This utterance is categorized
as Assertive (Stating) because in
his speech Obama stated the truth
that now he would focus on
spending time with his wife and
family. In this Utterance Obama
said I needed to spend time with
Michelle Obama. This Verb was
conclude Assertive stating verb.
2) Claiming
This utterance is categorized
as Assertive (Claiming) because in
this speech, there are any verb was
show claiming utterance. Obama
said that we brought America out
of the chaos of the industrial
revolution and the Great
Depression. This speech refers to
Obama's claims about the
achievements of the American
industry and economy. Obama
also claimed that as long as he was
president, America had adapted to
a new economy, a 20th century
economy - guiding our free market
with regulations to protect health
and safety and fair competition.
This utterance is categorized
as Assertive (Claiming) act
because it was proven by Obama's
statement as a former president
who graciously stepped off the
political scene and gave ideas
democratic political education to
young people at the Illinois
university. The Obama sentence
that was delivered was an
illocutionary act of assertive claim
because in the statement Obama
considered himself a former
president who was willing to give
a democracy lecture to young
people so that it could become the
 golden generation of American
politics. That is why the speech of
Obama was included in the
category of illocutionary acts of
assertive claiming according to the
Searle theory
3) Complaining
This Utterance refers to statement
about complaining for Donald
Trump’s Government. This utterance
is categorized as Assertive
(Complaining) acts because in this
statement Obama said that he issued a
statement that complained and
claimed that the current American
government (Donald Trump's
Government) was proven by Obama's
words that those who were at the top
of the American economic pyramid
had been able to influence the
government to make something that
benefits them. Obama also
complained that the government had
now been controlled by super-rich
people because they had cut taxes on
the richest Americans, and loosened
economic policies so that they would
have more freedom to run their
businesses. In his speech also Obama
complained that the Donald Trump
government had weakened the
protection of workers, making
workers feel less secure at work. based
on Searle theory, These complaining
statements included in illocutionary
complaining acts
b. Directives
Directives means parts of speech
intended by the speaker to make the
effects for the listener takes action.
Here are kinds of directivestives :
Requesting, Advising, Commanding
Ordering, Recommending.
6
In This Utterance refer to
about democratic system in
america’s government This
utterance is categorized as
Directives (Requesting) because in
Obama's speech Obama request to
all parties, both from the
democratic party and the republic
party, not to turn off their political
opponents. Obama also asked the
attorney general or the FBI to be
neutral in each election, Obama
also asked the attorney general and
the FBI to use the criminal justice
system fairly. Obama also said the
law must be upright not knowing
one's position or strength. If they
are guilty they deserve to be
punished and if they are innocent
there is no reason to punish them.
in this speech, Obama issued a
statement of utterance meal
requests in the category of
directive requesting.
1) Advising
This utterance is categorized as
Directive (Advising) because Obama
says we should fight the bullies,
destroyers of American democracy.
we can't follow them. Obama also
gave statements that advised young
Illinois that they should oppose
discrimination. He also said do not let
Nazi thoughts occur in America.
Obama also said that the United States
is not an authoritarian state that limits
the opinions and freedoms of citizens.
2) Commanding
you have to start it.
This utterance is categorized as
Directive (Commanding) act. It can be
seen from the statement that Obama
ordered all attendees at the University
 of Illinois to begin to repair everything
in American democracy. Obama said
they must start from being a voter in
the general election. One election will
not improve everything that needs to
be improved, but this will be the
beginning to fix our democracy. And
you have to start. Obama also said you
were the person who would make
changes in American democracy
better. It is young Americans who will
be the successors of the American
leadership.
c. Expressives
Expressives is a form of speech that
serves to express or show the
psychological attitudes of speakers
towards a situation. Here are kinds of
assertives: 1) Thanking. 2) Praising, 3)
Blaming, 4) Congratulating 5)
Pardoning, 6) Condoling
1) Thanking
1. Hey! Hello, Thank you for the
warm time Illinois! I-L-L!
This utterance is categorized as
Expressive (Thanking), it can seen the
speaker, Obama said hello and was
gaves thanks for All students in Illinois
University for the time. And Obama
was greetingful for the audience for
the warm greeting
2) Praising
The Paul Douglas Award that is
being given to me.
In this Speech, It contains
illocutionary acts of Expressive
(Praising). Because this utterance
contains a verb that shows praise. It
Can be seen from 4 Obama gives
praise to the University of Illinois for
giving the Paul Douglas Award to him.
Obama also said this award was an
extraordinary gift, Obama said this
award was an award for the American
people who loved him. Because only
people who contribute to society can
receive this award.
3) Blaming
It did not start with Donald
Trump. He is a symptom.
This utterance is categorized as
Expressive (Blaming), because in this
speech Obama issued a statement
blaming Donald Trump's government,
Obama considered President Donald
Trumps had failed to make America
great again. Donald Trump is a
symptom for citizens. His
controversial policies caused disputes
and divisions for American groups.
Trump always ignores minorities, they
always make policies that suppress
minority groups, resulting in divisions
and riots in America.
d. Comissives
Commissives means these natures
of speech serves to express promise
or offer. Here are kinds of assertives:
1) Promising 2) Offering. 3) Vowing.
1) Promising
1. We are promise to fight for the
little guy
This utterance is categorized as
Comissive (Promising) because in the
speech Obama gave a promise to the
government. In this speech, Obama
said we promised to fight for the small
people but the authorities hurt the
small people, Obama also said we
promised to eradicate corruption. But
there are still many rulers who take
public money.

7
2) Offering
2. here's the good news. In two
months we have the chance, not the
certainty but the chance, to restore
some semblance of sanity to our
politics.
This utterance is categorized as
Comissive (Offering) because in the
speech above, Obama offered to the
American people. It can be seen from
Obama's statement that we still have
opportunities and hopes. The hope of
making democracy made the
American government better
e. Declaratives
Declaratives is a form of sayings
that connects content with facts.
Here are kinds of declaratives:
Declaring.
1) Declaring
1. Look, Americans will always
have disagreements on policy. This
is a big country, it is a raucous
country. People have different
points of view.
This utterance is categorized as
declarative (declaring). Because in his
speech Obama issued a statement
declaring to his listeners that America
was a big country, a rich country, and
a firm state. This speech shows that
America has a society that has a
different perspective, this country has
many cultures. Obama also said that
America always respects religious
differences.
CONCLUSION
1. Based on the finding and
discussion that answered to first
problem questions above the
researcher was found 14 utterance
used to illocutionary acts theory.
8
There are assertives acts was
found 5 utterances, directives acts
was found 3 utterances, expressive
acts was found 3 utterance,
commisives acts 3 utterances and
declaration was found 1 utterance.
In this research the utterance most
used by obama’s speech is
assertive which is 5 utterances.
Because of the context of obama’s
speech about democracy. So in
this speech have many asserting
utterances. the author concludes
that assertives of stating and
commisives of offering is mostly
used on obama's speech.
Based on the research finding that
answered the second problem
statement, the researchers found
information about the message
conveyed by obama in a speech at
illinois university. In a speech
which was more or less 2 hours
long, obama explained about a
speech with the theme of
democracy. The speech explained
a lot about the importance of
democracy in america. Since
america was founded by president
george washington america has
used the ideology of democracy.
Democracy is a system that does
not allow the president to become
the head of state for life. In his
speech, obama also explained that
democracy in america had
suffered damage because there
were still many american people
who were cynical. Especially
young americans who are usually
still unstable in thinking they still
think that democracy is an
unimportant act. Such thinking
 must be changed. American youth Searle, J. R. (1976). A classification of
is a very influential group for the illocutionary acts. Language in
advancement of american Society.
democracy. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500
006837
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