SPEECH ACT
the table
Being misunderstood in the process of communication is
difficult especially if there are factors that lead to
misinterpretation in both the speaker and the listener, therefore
we should be careful in the choice to utter especially in the
social context.
THREE TYPES OF SPEECH ACT
1. LOCUTIONARY
- refers to the act of saying something.
- are "roughly equivalent to uttering a certain
sentence with a certain 'meaning' in the
traditional sense" (Austin, 1962).
- there could be meanings to what you just said
depending on how you say it.
- The meaning may be expressed directly or
implied.
- In performing a locutionary act, you are
performing such an act as asking or answering a
question, giving information or an assurance
or a warning, announcing a verdict or an
intention, pronouncing a sentence, making an
appointment or an appeal or criticism, and
making an identification and giving a
description, among others.
- Ex: “You should stop smoking.” “You should
clean your room.”
2. ILLOCUTIONARY ACT (INTENTION)
- refers to the act performed in saying
something.
- a complete speech act made in utterance with a
particular illocutionary force, wherein a
speaker asserts, suggests, demands, promises,
or vows.
- uttered and has an action.
- There are 10 kinds of illocutionary acts:
a. Command – has an imperative. Ex:
“Please pass the rice.”
b. Complex Illocutionary Act – has a
negated illocutionary force. It is
subdivided into three types:
 Conjunctive illocutionary act
consists of the performance of
two or more illocutionary acts in
one utterance. Example: "I will
sleep, but will I wake up?"
(combination of an assertion and a
question)
 Illocutionary conditional consists
of an illocutionary act and a
stated condition for the
performance of that act.
Example: "I will sleep when I
become sleepy."
 Illocutionary denegation is made
complex by the negation of its
illocutionary force. Example: "I
will sleep, but I will not sleep."
c. Defective Illocution – occurs when,
whether successful or unsuccessful, one or
more of the preparatory conditions for
the act are not met. Example: "Please pass
the fish sauce" but there is no fish sauce on
d. Direct Illocution – happens when only the
illocutionary force and the propositional
content that are literally expressed by the
lexical items and syntactic form of the
utterance are communicated
e. Elementary Illocution – does not have a
negated illocutionary force. It is not
performed conditionally nor conjoined to
another illocutionary act. Example: "I
demand that I be paid on time."
f. Exclamation – an utterance made with
strong emotion. Example: "What a strong
typhoon it was!"
g. Indirect Illocution – is made when a
speaker expresses another illocutionary
force occurs other than that literally
expressed in the utterance, relying on
shared background knowledge, principles
of conversation such as the cooperative
principle convention, and the ability of the
addressee to make inferences. Categorized
into three kinds:
 Anticipatory illocution has direct
illocutionary force of a question
about the conditions necessary
for the appropriateness of some
other illocutionary act. It has the
indirect illocutionary force of the
necessary conditions.
 Hedged performative is an
indirect illocution whose
illocutionary force is expressed
by a performative verb but is
given an additional force by some
device such as subordination.
 Rhetorical question has the
illocutionary force of a question
and is not generally used with the
expectation of an answer but
with some different, indirect
force such a command, a
tentative statement, and an
evaluation.
h. Non-defective Illocution – occurs when all
the presuppositions of the propositional
content conditions, preparatory
conditions, and sincerity conditions are
satisfied.
i. Question – is in the interrogative.
 Alternative question presents two
or more possible answers and
presupposes that only one is true.
 Tag question is added after a
statement to request
confirmation or disconfirmation
of the statement from the
addressee. It often expresses the
bias of the speaker toward one
answer.
 Wh-question is a question that
contains an interrogative pro form
like "Why," "Where," "Who,"
"When", and "What."
  Yes-no question refers to a
question in which an answer of
either "Yes" or "No" is
acceptable.
j. Statement – is in declarative form.
Example: "It is a sizzling summer day."
3. PERLOCUTION
- Perlocution refers to what one does by saying
something.
- mean what we bring about or achieve by
saying something such as convincing,
persuading, deterring, or even surprising and
misleading.
- It is an act of saying something while at the
same time not saying something, but there is an
action done by the listeners. For example, when
someone shouts "Fire!" his listeners or audience
may hastily leave the building if they are inside
one.
__________________________________________________
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
- defined by Dornyei (1995), are attempts to
bridge the gap between linguistic knowledge
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
1. Nomination
- ability of taking attention of the hearers and
trying to commence, or to begin or nominate
or propose speakers’ ideas in a conversation
- Presenting a particular topic clearly,
truthfully, and saying only what is relevant
2. Restriction
- a strategy that constrains or restricts the
response of the other person involved in the
communication situation
3. Topic Control
- Social equals use a neutral starting point or
opening in a conversation, like talking about
the weather, to establish their relationship.
This may lead to a self-related comment that
focuses on the speaker or a comment that on the
listener. Topic control observes the
appropriate language forms.
4. Topic Shifting
- a rhetorical deception wherein one person in a
discussion subtly manages to change the topic
to another related but different topic without
announcing the change or reaching any
mutual agreement that such a change is
appropriate.
5. Repair
- the process of being able to identity your
mistake and finding simpler or better word to
use so that your listeners can understand you.
6. Turn Taking
- organizes the distribution and flow of speech
between two participants of interaction,
thereby keeping the speech continuous.
 Adjacency Pairs – are considered the
automatic sequences of a first and second
part. The most obvious example of
adjacency pairs are thanking-response,
request-acceptance, and question-answer
sequences.
 Questions and answers
 Greetings and reciprocal greetings
 Requests granted and denied
 Invitations accepted and declined
 Complaints and excuses/remedies
 Compliments and
acceptance/refusal of compliments
 Accusations and
apologies/denials/temporizing
 Advising and accepting advice
 Turn allocational component – which
describes how turns are allocated among
participants
7. Termination
- important in communication because the failure
to communicate the end of a relationship can led
to fear and anxiety on the part of the other person
involved this may lead to rumors that allow false
details and intrigues to add more stress to the
___________________________________________________
__
TYPES OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
Purpose is your objective in giving a speech. It keeps the
message focused and clear.
Delivering a speech allows you to influence your audience
positively by expressing valuable opinions, providing
information, inspiring, or entertaining them.
Every speech that you deliver must have a general purpose
and a specific purpose. The general purpose of a formal
speech may be categorized into these three basic types: to
inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
1. Informative Speech
- provides valuable information without
attempting to persuade the audience.
- Its objective is to expand the listener's
knowledge and promote intellectual, moral,
and spiritual well-being.
- Informative speeches provide factual
information, while expository speeches offer
explanations and personal opinions.
- Examples of informative speech topics include
history, biography, science, technical processes,
and "how-to's. "
- Expository speeches are an amplified version of
informative speeches that include personal
opinions.
- Uses materials, consisting:
 Actual objects
 Statistics
 Figures
 Procedures
 Theories
 Opinions
- Two classifications of possible topics:
 Tangible – such as objects and places,
are best presented by providing
 definitions, descriptions, and their
purpose or function.
 Intangible – such as culture, history,
religion, and services, are abstract
and cannot be touched or seen.
Chronological order – presents events in the sequence they
occur in time. This works well for topics like processes,
history, and biography. Cause-effect and problem-solution
patterns can also be used to sequence events.
Topical pattern – is used to cluster information by main
topic and subtopics, such as in theories, culture, sports,
religion, law, services, and associations.
2. Persuasive Speech
- calls for a self-sacrificing motive.
- The ultimate factor that will draw listeners to
agree with you is when you give them
something that benefits them in the right way.
- Persuasion may offer material, moral, social,
spiritual, intellectual, emotional, or psychological
benefits. ADVOCACY is an example of a
benefit that has social and moral implications.
People feel good when they help others.
- Your credibility as a speaker is important in this
type of speech. People will not be convinced if
you have little knowledge of the topic you are
presenting.
3. Entertaining Speech
- can be a refreshing diversion for a stressed
audience, providing a new perspective while
delivering a message. It captures attention and
amuses listeners.
- don't have to be humorous; they aim to engage
emotions in a lighthearted way.
- Weddings, graduations, and award
ceremonies are great opportunities for
entertaining speeches. The message should be
simple, focus on pleasure, and avoid scholarly
analysis to maintain audience interest.
___________________________________________________
__
TYPES OF SPEECH ACCORDING TO DELIVERY
1. Manuscript Speech
- a written or a printed document that contains
the entirety of a speech.
- the easiest way to deliver a speech because the
speaker is not anxious about forgetting what to
say.
- Few occasions when reading from a manuscript
becomes necessary:
 When your presentation is about a
subject matter that will not allow any
error in explanations, descriptions, or
enumerations, reading a material
word-for-word will ensure that you
will give the correct information. Ex.
Reading official, legal, or scientific
writings
 Interpretive reading - a type of
entertaining speech that involves
reading poetry, stories or plays
written by another author. The
manuscript must be read entirely to
avoid misquoting the original writings,
but the speaker must use vocal variety
to enliven the delivery.
2. Memorized Speech
- a written speech that a speaker commits to
memory word-for-word.
- This will free your hands and eyes, allowing
you to make gestures and eye contact. It also
eliminates your fear of standing speechless in
front of an audience as if your notes are in front
of you.
3. Impromptu Speech
- performed or conceived without rehearsal or
preparation. Speaking impromptu is giving a
speech on-the-spot, without prior notice of the
topic a speaker will talk about.
- also referred to as "speaking on your feet,"
requires mental alertness, language fluency, and
scores of stored knowledges.
- General patterns that can be used for different
topics:
 Story-Message-Gain (SMG) – start with a
story. The easiest way to begin a story is by
relating it to time: a specific hour, a date, a
month, a year or any specific period in
history.
Ex: "This morning... "
"On January 1, 2015... " "Last year... "
"During the Second World War... "
Proceed to your main message. What idea
do you want to get across?
Ex: "My point is... " "I want you to
understand that... " "The reason I shared
that story is because... "
Conclude with a summary of what you
shared and tell the listeners what they gained
from your speech. Ex: "Preventing Dengue
fever is not impossible to accomplish if the
members of the community keep their homes
and surroundings clean. Keep in mind that
prevention is always better than cure."
"Next time you plan on investing in
diamonds, remember the three C's-color,
cut, and carat. Your investment will
definitely be worthwhile."
"Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision.
Decide to free yourself today. Decide to
forgive."
 Position-Reason-Example-Position
(PREP) – start by stating your position or
stand on an issue. Continue by giving a
reason for taking that stand. Give an
example to support your position and end by
restating your position. Ex: "I think that
consuming too much sugar is wrong. It
poisons the blood that may cause many
kinds of diseases. Most of my friends are
obese at a very young age because they eat
 too much pastries and sweets and take soft
drinks. They may eventually have diabetes,
asthma, and heart disease. I think that we
have to be more watchful of sugar intake in
our daily diet. "
 Past-Present-Future (PPF) – give your
opinion by narrating facts in the
chronological order. Start with what it was
like in the past and then what is happening at
present. End with your opinion of how it
might look like if a certain trend continues.
Ex: "When I first came to this school several
years ago, I remember it had only one
building. Today, I' m standing in the third
building constructed in the past three years.
If this trend continues, this school may
become one of the largest schools in the
country in the coming years. "
 Compare-Contrast – this is a “good-
better-best” proposition. Ex: "Apples
contain high levels of vitamin C, but citrus
fruits contain the highest. "
4. Extemporaneous Speech
- means speaking from notes or an outline
without reading or memorizing an entire
manuscript.
- makes for a more spontaneous presentation
compared to a memorized or read speech and
more precise than an impromptu speech. Many
experienced speakers find it the most effective,
particularly in giving lectures or seminars,
preaching, and similar talks.
___________________________________________________
__
PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH WRITING
Great speakers know that delivering a speech does not begin the
moment they open their mouths and start talking. They know
that much time is spent in the speech-making process.
SPEECH-MAKING PROCESS
 Choosing the Topic
It involves knowing yourself and your audience using
efficient strategies and understanding appeal,
appropriateness and ability.
1. Be Simple – have you ever wondered how great
speakers choose their topics? Notice that they often
talk about ordinary thing, even things we already
know.
2. Listen Carefully – a good speaker is also a good
listener. So, listen to people when they speak and try
to understand their thinking by asking yourself. By
listening carefully, you will learn from good speaker.
3. Run a list of possible topics – keep a diary or journal
of your significant personal experiences.
4. Narrow down your topic – your topic must not be
too broad. Narrow it down until it becomes very
specific. For example, if you want to talk about food,
what specific food is it?
 Analyzing the audience
In public speaking, it is even challenging to connect with a
large group of listeners who have different backgrounds. How
would you feel if you see people in the audience with big
question marks written on their faces? Your goal as a speaker
is to be understood by your audience.
How can I get connected to the audience?
An audience is defined as a "gathering of spectators and
listeners." These people, who may belong to different cultures,
religions, age groups and genders, among other characteristics,
will form their individual opinions of you while you are
delivering your speech.
Knowing the profile of your audience ahead of time allows
you to align your message to their interests. This process is
called audience analysis. Audience analysis is not a new
concept in public speaking. This method was employed by
speakers even during the ancient times. Audience analysis leads
to "connectedness " and a positive reception from the audience.
How do I analyze the audience?
Analyzing the audience means studying the distinctive
characteristics or attributes of the recipient of the message.
Demography – refers to the age, gender, education, religion,
culture, ethnicity or the group which they belong.
The beliefs and attitudes of your audience include their
opinions and values, preference and perspective of what is true
or false. This will determine if they will accept or reject your
ideas, especially when you're delivering a persuasive speech.
Audience reactions or responses can either be:
 Positive – means that the audience appears with
interest and approval.
 Neutral – may show your audience looking bored in
your speech or simply listening in silence.
 Negative – is the one that requires an extraordinary
effort.
After knowing who your audience is and what they are like,
you will have a clearer grasp of how they will respond to your
message which will significantly help you plan your speech
strategies before the actual presentation.
Outlining And Organizing the Speech Contents
Writing a speech is like running a marathon in reverse-you have
to start at the finish line and run up to the starting point. Before
you can organize your speech, you must first fix in your
mind what you want to accomplish at the end of your
presentation, knowing the purpose of your speech is the first
task of a public speaker.
Identify your Purpose
First step, remember that your objective in delivering a speech
is to meet the specific needs of your audience. Clarify these
needs by applying the principles of audience analysis.
Second, combine these principles with your own beliefs and
sensitivity toward others.
Third, decide on the type of speech you will use to achieve
your purpose.
 Make a Speech Outline
After deciding on your purpose, you are now ready to make a
speech outline, the most important and indispensable tool for
organizing your speech.
acknowledge the rightful owner by supplying the name,
date, title of work, publication, web source, or other
important information. However, you should not clutter your
speech with too much information source which can detract the
audience from following your message, but choose only those
that are necessary.

Consider these features in making an effective speech outline:

1. Functional – an outline is the skeleton of the

speech, pulling together different ideas and putting
them in their proper places. In a human body, a
skeleton assembles different parts of the body into
one synchronized whole.
2. Complete – there are different ways of organizing a
speech depending on the topic, but a speech must
always have an opening, a body, and a conclusion.
3. Concise – a public speaker must be disciplined to
stay within the allotted time, so the speech must be
complete yet concise.

Developing the Speech Contents

Opening – introduces the message of the speech and so, it

has the initial contact with the audience. A good opening
should: arouse interest, be short, lead to the body or message,
and not be apologetic.

Main message – the specific purpose of the speech. Some

speakers refer to it as the power statement. Points in
developing an effective main message: give it to the audience
at the proper time, keep it short, make it very specific.

Body – the central part of your speech containing the details

of ideas you want to establish. There are different parts that
need to develop in the body: the major or main point, the minor
or sub-point, support materials.

Conclusion – the ending of the speech, which summarizes its

purpose and main points while leaving a memorable parting
message to the audience. How must we end our speech:
summarize the message, connect with the opening, be forceful
and definite, and be brief.

 Sourcing the information

A speech that is reinforced by a variety of anecdotes a

statistics, quotations, and scientific and historical facts is
more interesting than a speech lacking in these elements called
support.

Why do I need to cite resources in my speech?

The ideas created by people are called intellectual property.

Like material properties, the intellectual property created by the
minds of people may be stolen through various means like
infringement, plagiarism or violation of copyright. When
using an intellectual property belonging to another person, be
honest and disclose that the idea does not belong to you. It is
called intellectual honesty or acknowledging the intellectual
creation of a person based on the principles of honesty and
good faith.

How do I cite resources in my speech?

There is no definite style or manner of citing resources in oral

presentations. What is important is to let the audience know
that the idea or the material is not your own creation and to