Types of Speech Act

By the end of the lesson, you will have been able to

⌂ define speech acts; ⌂ distinguish types of speech
act; ⌂ recognize that communicative competence
requires understanding of speech acts; ⌂
demonstrate effective use of communicative
strategy in a variety of speech situations; ⌂ apply
learning and thinking skills, life skills, and ICT literacy
in understanding the types of speech acts; and ⌂
reflect on your learning on the types of speech acts.
 Definition of Speech Acts
A speech act is an utterance that a speaker makes to
achieve an intended effect. Some of the functions
which are carried out using speech acts are offering
an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation,
compliment, or refusal. A speech act might contain
just one word or several words or sentences. For
example, “Thanks” and “Thank you for always being
there for me. I really appreciate it” both show
appreciation regardless of the length of the
statement.
Three Types of Speech Act According to J. L.
Austin (1962), a philosopher of language and the
developer of the Speech Act Theory, there are
three types of acts in every utterance, given the
right circumstances or context.
 These are:
1. Locutionary act is the actual act of uttering.
“Please do the dishes.” 2. Illocutionary act is the
social function of what is said. By uttering the
locution “Please do the dishes,” the speaker requests
the addressee to wash the dishes. 3. Perlocutionary
act is the resulting act of what is said. This effect is
based on the particular context in which the speech
act was mentioned. “Please do the dishes” would
lead to the addressee washing the dishes.
There are also indirect speech acts which occur when
there is no direct connection between the form of the
utterance and the intended meaning. They are different in
force (i.e., intention) from the inferred speech act. For
example, read the following utterance. “Can you pass the
rice?” Inferred speech act: Do you have the ability to hand
over the rice? Indirect speech act: Please pass the rice. So
while the utterance literally asks the addressee if he or she
has the ability to hand a plate of rice, it actually indirectly
requests the addressee to pass the rice to the speaker.
Performatives Austin also introduced the concept of performative
utterances: statements which enable the speaker to perform something
just by stating it. In this manner, verbs that execute the speech act that
they intend to effect are called performatives. A performative utterance
said by the right person under the right circumstances results in a
change in the world. Note that certain conditions have to be met when
making a performative utterance. For example, the phrase “I now
pronounce you husband and wife,” when uttered by an authorized
person such as a judge will have the actual effect of binding a couple in
marriage. However, if the same statement is uttered to the same couple
in the same place by someone who is not authorized to marry them—
as in the case of the accompanying picture, a robot—then there is no
effect whatsoever because a condition was not met.
Searle’s Classifications of Speech Act As a
response to Austin’s Speech Act Theory, John
Searle (1976), a professor from the University of
California, Berkeley, classified illocutionary acts
into five distinct categories.
1. Assertive – a type of illocutionary act in which the
speaker expresses belief about the truth of a
proposition. Some examples of an assertive act are
suggesting, putting forward, swearing, boasting, and
concluding. Example: No one makes better pancakes
than I do. 2. Directive – a type of illocutionary act in
which the speaker tries to make the addressee
perform an action. Some examples of a directive act
are asking, ordering, requesting, inviting, advising,
and begging. Example: Please close the door
3. Commissive – a type of illocutionary act which commits the speaker to
doing something in the future. Examples of a commissive act are promising,
planning, vowing, and betting. Example: From now on, I will participate in
our group activity. 4. Expressive – a type of illocutionary act in which the
speaker expresses his/her feelings or emotional reactions. Some examples
of an expressive act are thanking, apologizing, welcoming, and deploring.
Example: I am so sorry for not helping out in our group projects and letting
you do all the work. 5. Declaration – a type of illocutionary act which brings
a change in the external situation. Simply put, declarations bring into
existence or cause the state of affairs which they refer to. Some examples of
declarations are blessing, firing, baptizing, bidding, passing a sentence, and
excommunicating. Example: You are fired! By saying that someone is fired,
an employer causes or brings about the person’s unemployment, thus
changing his external situation.
Always keep in mind that speech acts include
concrete life interactions that require the appropriate
use of language within a given culture.
Communicative competence (i.e., the ability to use
linguistic knowledge to effectively communicate with
others) is essential for a speaker to be able to use and
understand speech acts. Idioms and other nuances in
a certain language might be lost or misunderstood by
someone who does not fully grasp the language yet.