SPEECH ACTS

DEFINITION

– SPEECH ACTS ARE ACTS DONE BY SAYING THEM.IT IS A

TERM COINED BY JOHN AUSTIN IN HIS BOOK TITLED
HOW TO THE THINGS WITH WORDS. SPEECH ATS CAN BE
UNDERSTOOD BETTER BY IDENTIFYING THREE ASPECTS
THEY INVOLVE.
THE THREE ASPECTS THAT
THEY INVOLVED
– 1.) LOCUTIONARY ACT IS THE BASIC ACTS OF
UTTERANCE,OR PRODUCING A MEANINGFUL LINGUISTIC
EXPRESSIONS.
– 2.) ILLLOCUTIONARY ACT IS FORMED VIA
COMMUNICATIVE FORCE OF UTTERANCE.
(UTTERANCE KIND OF FUNCTION IN MIND)H
THE THREE ASPECTS THAT
THEY INVOLVED
– 3.) PERLOCUTIONARY ACT REVEALS THE EFFECT THE
SPEAKER WANTS TO EXERCISE OVER THE HEARER.
ALSO KNOWN AS THE PERLUCTIONARY EFFECT.
 THEORY OF SPEECH ACTS

DESIRE EFFECT
ILLOCUTION PERLOCUTION
SPECIFIC WORDS-LOCUTION

A SPEECH ACT HAS 3 ASPECTS:

-LOCUTION=PHYSICAL UTTERANCE BY THE SPEAKER
-ILLOCUTION=THE INTENDED MEANING OF THE
UTTTERANCE BY THE SPEAKER (PERFORMATIVE)
-PRELOCUTION=THE ACTION THAT RESULTS FROM THE
LOCUTION
ILLOCUTIONARY FORCE
INDICATING DEVICES(IFIDs)
– IS A PIECE OF LANGUAGE THAT SIGNALS WHAT KIND OF
SPEECH ACT IS BEING PERFORMED.
EX. WOULD YOU PASS ME THE SALT,PLEASE?
FELECITY CONDITIONS

– FELICITY CONDITIONS COVER EXPECTED OR APPROPRIATE

CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF A SPEECH ACT TO BE
RECOGNIZED AS INTENDED.
– EX. I SENTENCE YOU TO SIX MONTHS IN PRISON.
THE PERFORMERS WILL BE INFELECTIOUS
(INAPPROPRIATE) IF THE SPEAKER IS NOT A SPECIFIC
PERSON IN A SPECIAL CONTEXT(IN THE CASE,A JUDGE IN A
COURTROOM)
YULE PROPOSES FURTHER CLASSIFICATON
OF FELICITY CONDITIONS INTO FIVE
CLASS

– GENERAL CONDITIONS
– CONTENT CONDITIONS
– PREPARATORY CONDITIONS
– SINCERITY CONDITIONS
– ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS
(YULE,1996-50)
GENERAL CONDITIONS- PRESUPPPOSE THE PARTICIPANTS
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LANGUAGE BEING USED AND HIS NON-PLAY
ACTING
CONTENT CONDITIONS- CONCERN THE APPROPRIATE CONTENT OF
AN UTTERANCE,
PREPARATORY CONDITIONS- DEAL WITH THE DIFFERENCES OF
VARIOUS ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS(E.G THOSE OF PROMISING OR
WARNING),
SINCERITY CONDITIONS- COUNT WITH SPEAKERS INTENTION TO
CARRY OUT CERTAIN ACT, AND
ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS- COMBINE WITH A SPCIFICATION O WHAT
MUST BE IN THE UTTERANCE CONTENT,THE CONTEXT,AND THE
SPEAKERS INTENTONS, IN ORDER FOR A SPECIFIC ACT TO BE
APPROPRIATELY(FELECTIOUSLY)
THE PERMATIVE HYPOTHESIS

– A PEFORMATIVE THAT FROM THE GRAMMATICAL POINT OF

VIEW, A PERFORMATIVE IS A FIRST PERSON INDICATIVE
ACTIVE SENTENCE IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE.IN ORDER
TO DISTINGUISH THE PERFORMATIVE USE FROM OTHER
POSSIBLE USES OF FIRST PERSON INDICATIVE ACTIVE
PATTERN, AUSTIN INTRODUCES A HEREBY TEST SINCE HE
FINDS OUT THAT PERFORMATIVE VERBS ONLY CAN
COLLOCATE WITH THIS ADVERB.
EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT
PERFORMATIVES
– HAVING DEFINED PERFORMATIVES,AUSTIN THEN DRAWS A BASIC
DISTINCTION BETWEEN THEM. HE DISTINGUISHES TWO GENERAL
GROUPS – EXPLICIT AND EMPLICIT PERPORMATIVES
1.) A. THE WORK WAS DONE BY DALIA AND MYSLEF.
B. I HEREBY TELL YOU THAT THE WORK WAS DONE BY DALIA AND
MYSELF.
2.) A. CLEAN UP THE MESS!
B. I HEREBY ORDER YOU THAT YOU CLEAN UP THIS MESS.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT
SPEECH ACTS
– AN INDIRECT SPEECH ACT MASK ONE TYPE OF ACT (THE PRIMARY
ONE)AS SOMETHING ELSE (THE SECONDARY ONE).
EXAMPLE:
- IT’S PRETTY COLD IN HERE
SECONDARY SPEECH ACT: ASSERTION ABOUT TEMPERATURE
PRIMARY SPEECH ACT: REQUEST TO CLOSE THE WINDOW
SPEECH ACTS CLASSIFICATION

– THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF GENERAL FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY SPEECH ACTS:

DECLARATIONS, REPRESENTATIVES, EXPRESSIVE, DIRECTIVES, AND COMMISSIVES

SPEECH ACTS

REPRESENTA
DECLARATIONS EXPRESSIVES DIRECTIVES COMMISSIVES
TIVES
EXAMPLES:

– DECLARATIVES: WE FIND THE DEFENDANT GUILTY.

REPRESENTATIVES: IT WAS A WARM SUNNY DAY.
EXPRESSIVES: I’M REALLY SORRY!
DIRECTIVES: DON’T TOUCH THAT!
COMMISSIVES: I’LL BE BACK.