ORAL COMMUNICATION
2ND QUARTER
LESSON 05 – SPEECH ACTS
SPEECH ACT
 An utterance that a speaker makes to achieve an
intended effect.
 Something we say that may influence the listener to
do or perform something.
 Actions that occur thanks to language are
considered speech acts.
 If our words force someone or something to do
something or to happen.
 Verbal actions that accomplish something.
 May contain just one word or several words or
sentences.
 Examples:
a. Thanks!
b. Thank you for always being there for me.
SPEECH ACT THEORY
 By JL Austin
 Developed to explain how speech acts occur or
function; what composes a speech act or how we
can categorize an utterance as a speech act.
3 PARTS OF SPEECH ACT (According to the Theory)
1. LOCUTIONARY
 Occurs when the speakers perform a locution
(utterance) [The phrase or sentence that has
meaning (vocabulary) and structure (grammar)]
2. ILLOCUTIONARY
 The performance of the act of saying something
with a specific intention or illocution [Social PERFORMATIVES
function of what is said]
3. PERLOCUTIONARY
 Happens when what the speaker says has an
effect on the listener or a perlocution [The  It is special because these are statements/utterances
resulting act of what is said]
EXAMPLE:
Mother: Please do the dishes!
LOCUTIONARY: The words themselves
ILLOCUTIONARY: The mother is requesting you to  In 1979, he classified speech acts into different
wash the dishes. (The intention and reason why she
delivered/said it)
PERLOCUTIONARY: You getting up and start to
wash the dishes (The resulting action)
INDIRECT SPEECH ACTS
 When a speaker does not explicitly state the
intended meaning behind the utterance
 The purpose, reason, and intended meaning of the
utterance are unclear. But the listener would still be
able to understand the intention.
 Example:
a. “Could you pass the salt?”
INFERRED SPEECH ACT (If only looking to
the locution or locutionary part of the speech act)
- Do you have the ability to hand over the salt?
INDIRECT SPEECH ACT
- Please pass the salt.
 Answering utterances that are considered indirect
speech, may come off as sarcasm or a sarcastic
remark or answer.
 Example:
b. Girl 1: Let’s go to the movies tonight!
Girl 2: I have to study for an exam.
- Girl 1’s utterance is indirect because the
intention is to ask the other girl to go to the
movies with her.
- Girl 2 understands the intention of Girl 1
behind her utterance, that is why she replied.
Her response does not directly answer to the
intention of Girl 1 (Speaker). Girl 2 is
implying that she couldn’t do the intended
action because she would be busy doing
something else.
 Statements that enable the speaker to perform
something just by stating it.
 It is not always the case like you say something and
it is going to happen that way.
that could only be uttered by people who are
authorized to do so.
SEARLE
 Language and communication specialist
kinds
 Formulated the Different Classifications of Speech
Acts.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF SPEECH ACT
1. ASSERTIVE
 Speaker expresses belief about the truth of a
proposition.
 The utterance is coming off as truth/fact.
 Commits the speaker to something being the
case.

2. DIRECTIVE
 Speaker tries to make the receiver perform an
action.
 When asking, ordering, or begging someone to
do certain things.

3. COMMISSIVE
 Speaker commits to doing something in the
future.
 Example: When you are promising, planning
with colleagues, when you vow not to do
something, or when you bet on something.

4. EXPRESSIVE
 Express how the speaker feels about the
situation.
 When someone is apologizing, when someone is
thanking.

5. DECLARATION
 Change the state of the world in an immediate
way.

Using and understanding speech acts develop our

communicative competence