Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION XII
DIVISION OF GENERAL SANTOS CITY

ORAL COMMUNICATION IN
CONTEXT
“SPEECH ACT”
Quarter 2, Week 2 Day 2
OBJECTIVES
To understand the Illocutionary
Act; and
To distinguish the Searle’s five
Categories of Speech Act
 SPEECH ACTS
Speech Events may also include Speech Acts. J.L
Austin observed that ‘many utterances do not
communicate information, but are equivalent to
actions, e.g.
• I apologise…’
• I promise….’
• ‘I will….’ (at a wedding’
• ‘I name this ship….’
 Performatives
Austin called such utterances performatives, which
he saw as distinct from statements that convey
information (constatives).
I christen/name this ship The Queen Elisabeth
(performative).
Maurice Garin won the Tour de France in 1903
(constative)
Performatives cannot be true or false.
Explict vs Implicit Performatives
Explicit performatives are performative utterances
that contain a performative verb that makes
explicit what kind of act is being performed.

I promise to come to your talk tomorrow

afternoon.
Implicit performatives are
performative utterances in which
there is no such verb.

I’ll come to your talk tomorrow

afternoon.
Common Explicit Performatives
• apology
• promise
• agreement
• acceptance
• advice
• suggestion
• warning
• requests
• betting
• to second
• to vote
• to abstain
As a response to Austin’s Speech
Act Theory, John Searle (1976) , a
professor from the University of
California, Berkeley, classified
illocutionary acts into distinct
categories.
John Searle (1979) classified types
of illocutionary act into five,
they are representatives,
directives, commissives,
declarative, and expressive. In
performing illocutionary act, the
speaker should utter something
with intended meaning to the
hearer based on the situation and
real condition.
Searle’s Five Categories of
Speech Acts
1. Representative/Assertive
Representatives: the speaker is committed in varying
degrees to the truth of a proposition:
e.g. ‘affirm’, ‘believe,’ ‘conclude’, ‘report’;

• It is an act in which the speaker expresses belief about

the truth of a proposition. Some examples are
suggesting, swearing, boasting, concluding and putting
forward.
 EXAMPLES:
• I think the Berlin Wall came down
in 1989.
• No one makes better sandwich
than I do.
• The sky is very cloudy.
 2. Directive
• It is an act in which the speaker tries to make the
addressee
perform an action. Some examples are asking, ordering,
requesting, inviting, advising and begging.

• the speaker tries to do something

e.g. ‘ask’, ‘challenge’, ‘command’, ‘request’.
 EXAMPLES:
• Pass me the towel, will you?
• Would you make me a cup of tea?
• Please close the door.
 3. Commissive
• the speaker is committed in varying degrees, to a
certain course of action,
e.g. ‘bet’, ‘guarantee,’ ‘pledge’, ‘promise’ ‘swear’.

• It is an act which commits the speaker to doing

something
in the future. Some examples are promising, planning,
vowing, betting.
 EXAMPLES:
• That’s the last time I’ll waste my money on so-
called bargains.
• I promise to come at eight and cook a nice
dinner for you.
• From now on, I will participate in our group
activity.
 4. Expressive
• the speaker expresses an attitude about a state of
affairs,

• It is an act in which the speaker expresses his/her

feelings or emotional reactions. Some examples are
thanking, apologizing, welcoming, deploring.
 EXAMPLE
• Thank you for your kind offer.
• Well done, Elisabeth!
• I am so sorry for not helping out in our group
projects and letting you do all the work.
 5. Declaration
• the speaker alters the status quo by making the
utterance,
• It is an act which brings a change in the external
situation. Some examples of declarations are blessing,
firing, baptizing, bidding, passing a sentence and
excommunicating.
 EXAMPLE
• I resign, you’re offside’, ‘I name this child’,
‘you’re nicked’, ‘you’re busted, punk.’
• bequeath all my property to my beloved
fiancée.
• Class dismissed.
• I now pronounce you husband and wife.