A SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS ON THREE DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS

Prepared by
Zuñiga, Zarah Cecilia – Santoyo

Summitted to
Prof. Joventina Madriaga
Professor, IE Faculty

In partial fulfillment in the requirements for the course

ENG14N Introduction to Stylistics

at the

Far Easter University – Institute of Education

Nicanor Reyes Street, Sampaloc, Manila
I. Introduction

Communication is very important to all of us. There are several ways to communicate
with our families, friends, colleagues and all the people around, including our pets. For
instance, we communicate because we want to express our feelings, to give out instructions,
to ask something or to issue a command.

Being an integral part of society, there have been a number of studies conducted about
communication. One of which is speech act – the utterances of the speakers which convey
meaning and make listeners to do specific things (Austin, 1962). According to Austin (1962),
when saying a performative utterance, a speaker is simultaneously doing something.1 There
are three types of speech acts and one of which is illocutionary speech act – it is the
performance of saying something with specific intention.1 There are different classes of
illocutionary acts such as representatives (or assertive), directive, commissive, expressive,
and declaration (or declaratives). Assertive is an illocutionary act that represents a state of
affairs like stating, claiming, hypothesizing, describing, telling, insisting, suggesting, asserting,
or swearing that something is the case.2 Directive is an illocutionary act for getting
the addressee to do something for example: ordering, commanding, daring, defying,
challenging.2 Commissive is an illocutionary act for getting the speaker (i.e. the one
performing the speech act) to do something for example: promising, threatening, intending,
vowing to do or to refrain from doing something.2 Expressive is also an illocutionary act that
expresses the mental state of the speaker about an event presumed to be true.2
Congratulating, thanking, deploring, condoling, welcoming and apologizing are examples of
expressive illocutionary act. Declaration or declarative is an illocutionary act that brings into
existence the state of affairs to which it refers.2 Blessing, firing, baptizing, bidding, passing
sentence and excommunicating are examples of declarative illocutionary act.

II. Methodology

A two minutes situational conversation from the three different scenarios was recorded.
First audio recording was conducted during when the researcher arrives home from work.
Second audio recording was conducted during a discussion of employees inside the elevator.
 Lastly, during lunch of middle-aged employees in the food court. These audio recordings were
transcribed and classified according to the kind of illocutionary act used.

III. Result and Analysis

A. A two-minute audio recording was transcribed and classified according to the kind of
illocutionary act by the proponent when she arrived home from work.
Z: Nasan yung screen? – Indirect Directive
Z: Ayun! - Expressive
Z: Ahh. Babe papulot naman niyan. – Direct Directive
R: Magkano benta natin jan dati? – Indirect Directive
Z: Yung benta natin? - Indirect Directive
Z: 300php plus lang ata - Assertive
R: Kasi may mga kasama yun ehh. - Assertive
Z: Eh hindi, pero mabigat din yun. - Assertive
Z: Kakain naba si bebe? - Indirect Directive
R: Magbabaon ka siguro dapat? - Indirect Directive
Z: Oo, kaso nawawala yung lalagyanan ng pagkain. - Assertive
R: I-ano mo, tanggalin mo plastic niyan.
(referring to the plastic cover of my son’s highchair) - Direct Directive
Z: Ahh... Ahh... sakit ng likod ko – Expressive

KINDS OF SPEECH ACTS # %

INDIRECT DIRECTIVE 5 38.46
DIRECT DIRECTIVE 2 15.38
ASSERTIVE 4 30.77
EXPRESSIVE 2 15.38
COMMISSIVE 0 0
DECLARATIVE 0 0
INFELICITOUS 0 0
B. A two-minute audio recording was transcribed and classified according to the kind of
illocutionary act by employees during their discussion inside the elevator when they are
on their way to food court.
E.O: Going up, Sir? – Indirect Directive
A: Bat nag jacket ka? – Direct Directive
(Bat nag jacket ka? – Assertive)
Z: Di ko alam ‘bat nag jacket ako – Expressive
G: Ano pusta mo? (He is referring if what time is the 3rd poop of their officemate)
– Indirect Directive
K: Saan? – Indirect Directive
J: 1:30pm nga pre. – Assertive
G: Ako ala-1. – Assertive
(Ako ala-una (1:00pm) – Assertive)
K: Ano yun? – Indirect Directive
G and J: Stage 3 – Assertive
K: Ako alas-dos – Assertive
G: Mukhang malapit yung sa inyo huh – Assertive
A: Ano yun? – Indirect Directive
K: Stage 3 – Assertive
J: First two levels nagawa na ehh – Assertive
Z: Stage 3 level na ngayon huh – Assertive
G: Pila! Pila! (When they arrived in the food court) – Indirect Directive
(Pila! Pila! – Indirect Directive) – G was instructing his colleagues to fall in
line
K: Ate, yung akin menudo, dine-in. – Direct Directives
G: Isang rice lang? – Indirect Directive
(Isang rice lang. – Assertive)
K: Oo, isa lang – Assertive
(Oo, isa lang. – Assertive)
Z: Maghotdog ka nalang – Direct Directive
G: Naghotdog na tayo kanina – Inclusive Assertive
 (Naghatdog na tayo kanina – Inclusive Directive) – defying or refusing to
eat hotdog again
G: Menudo? – Assertive
(Menudo? – Indirect Directive) – indirectly asking a question if the dish
name is menudo
G: Mukhang masarap yang may egg huh – Assertive
(Mukhang masarap yang may egg huh – Expressive)
K: 100 isang order – Assertive
G: Tas may egg na den – Assertive
Z: Nasan na si Aye? – Indirect Directive
G: Isang rice nga – Assertive
(Isang rice nga – Inderect Directive)
G: Lagyan mo ng sabaw yan – Direct Directive

KINDS OF SPEECH ACTS # %

INDIRECT DIRECTIVE 10 35.71
DIRECT DIRECTIVE 3 10.71
ASSERTIVE 13 46.43
EXPRESSIVE 2 7.14
COMMISSIVE 0 0
DECLARATIVE 0 0
INFELICITOUS 0 0

C. A two-minute audio recording was transcribed and classified according to the kind of
illocutionary act by middle-aged employees while eating lunch in the food court.
K: Inuuto mo si Nicky! – Assertive
(Inuuto mo si Nicky! – Expressive)
A: Hindi nanaman – Expressive
K: Grabe naman – Expressive
A: Nakikisuyo lang – Assertive
K: Nakikiss? – Infelicitous
 (Nakikiss… - Assertive)
A: Nakikisuyo – Assertive
K: Dapat nakikiss – Indirect Directive
G: Para matuwa-tuwa naman – Assertive
J: Sapat na daw yung video, ay yung picture nila – Assertive
G: Bukas maghaharap na si Onay – Assertive
K: Ang muling paghaharap – Assertive
Z: Grabe gutom na gutom ako – Expressive
A: Sayo yan Za? – Direct Directive
Z: Oo, grabe – Expressive
G: Oy! Diet ka ngayon huh. HAHAHA – Expressive
Z: Di gusto niyo ulam? – Indirect Directive
J: Anong pwede? – Indirect Directive
J: Penge nito. – Indirect Directive
(Penge nito. – Assertive) – J is not actually asking permission if he can get some from
Z’s food, he is just telling or informing Z that he will get a food from her
G: Ang tinde talaga. – Expressive
G: Bat hihinge ka? – Direct Directive
(Bat hihinge ka? – Assertive)
G: Malay mo umorder tayo. – Inclusive Directive
(Malay mo umorder tayo. – Assertive)
J: Ano nga? Oh, game. – Indirect Directive
(Ano nga? Oh, game. – Assertive)
G: Wag mo na munang kunin hanggat umorder tayo. – Indirect Directive
(Wag mo na munang kunin hanggat umorder tayo. – Assertive)
K: Hindi tikman niyo nalang. – Indirect Directive
(Hindi - tikman niyo nalang – Assertive)
G: Gusto mong umorder? – Indirect Directive
J: Kaya yan! – Expressive
G: Tingnan mo muna kung kaya natin. – Direct Directive
G: Tikman mo muna kung masasarapan ka. – Direct Directive
Z: Grabe kayo sakin. – Expressive
K: Anong ginagawa naming sayo? – Direct Directive
(Anong ginagawa namin sayo? – Inclusive Directive)
Z: Wala lang. – Assertive
G: Di ka naman naming pinipigilang kumain huh. – Assertive
Z: Di, tang ina nagugutom nako eh. – Assertive
(Di, tang ina nagugutom nako eh. – Expressive)
K: Eh anong pakialam naming dun? – Indirect Directive
(Eh anong pakialam naming dun? – Expressive)
Z: Wala lang nagpapaliwanag lang, kahit di kailangan. – Assertive
G: Wag ka nang magpaliwanag. – Assertive
(Wag ka nang magpaliwanag. – Direct Directive)
J: Aba! May ganito kapa huh. – Expressive
K: Parang kang si Onay eh, biglang pumasok kahapon nagpaliwanag bigla.
– Assertive
Z: Guilty ako eh. – Assertive
(Guilty ako eh. – Expressive)
G: Nakangiti lang kame eh – Assertive
A: Nicky ang konti lang nung kanin eh – Assertive
K: Tang ina nito! Dun ka magreklamo kay ate – Expressive; Direct Directive
Z: Ah, hiningi mo nalang yung kanin ni Nicky – Assertive
Z: Bile ka nalang ulit ng kanin – Direct Directive
A: Nicky, diba nagpabile ako? – Direct Directive
(Nicky, diba nagpabile ako? – Assertive)
A: Nasan na yung pera ko? – Inclusive Directive
(Nasan na yung pera ko? – Indirect Directive)
N: Ayan na nga! – Expressive
J: Kuha ka naring ulam – Direct Directives
K: Grabe! Walang tiwala kay Nicky oh – Expressive; Assertive
A: Di naman! – Expressive
A: Baka kasi sabihin ni Nicky hindi ako nagbabayad eh – Assertive
A: Ayaw ko naman sabihin ni Nicky na di ako nagbabayad – Assertive
A: Ayaw mo talaga nang kanin? – Direct Directive
 (Ayaw mo talaga nang kanin? – Assertive)

KINDS OF SPEECH ACTS # %

INDIRECT DIRECTIVE 5 9.10
DIRECT DIRECTIVE 7 12.73
INCLUSIVE DIRECTIVE 1 1.82
ASSERTIVE 25 45.45
EXPRESSIVE 17 30.91
COMMISSIVE 0 0
DECLARATIVE 0 0
IV. Discussion

All the data gathered in this research have been carefully analyzed and classified
according to the kind of illocutionary act. The study reveals that Assertive are most commonly
used by employees during their lunchtime talks, as shown in Tables B and C. When you are
already employed, lunchtime is one of the most awaited time of the employees since this is
also the time that they can relax. This group of employees have decided to take lunch in the
food court in the other building near their office. These employees are making fun with each
other. They keep on making jokes to relieves stress. That is the reason why Assertive is the
most common used in their discussion during lunchtime. Furthermore, they often used
Expressive speech act as they have a freedom of expression to show their emotions.

Table A, on the other hand, shows Directive are the most commonly used in the house of
the proponent, especially upon her arrival from work. This study also reveals that the superior
in their family is the women. As the breadwinner of the family, it's totally natural for the
proponent to be the one calling the shots in the household, giving instructions to her partner
as observed in the conversation. That being said, the proponent's partner also has his say on
things, although not to the extent of that seen with the proponent who's more expressive as
the woman in the relationship.
V. References:

 1
https://www.slideshare.net/EjeSeastres/oral-comm-types-of-speech-act
 2
http://grammar.ucsd.edu/courses/lign105/illoc.html