The Analysis of utterance in Oprah Winsfrey show

A. Abstract.
Oprah Gail Winfrey  is an American media executive, actress, talk show
host, television producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk
show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago. Produced and hosted by its
namesake, Oprah Winfrey, it remains one of the highest-rated daytime talk shows
in American television history.
In this paper we want to anaylze one of her interview session in Talk show queen and
media mogul Oprah Winfrey, in a session moderated by NDTV's Barkha Dutt at the
Jaipur Literature Festival using the concept of Speech Act, Locutionary,
Illocutionary, Prelocutionary

B. The Analysis of Speech Act.

1. Jaipur: Talk show queen and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, in a session moderated by
NDTV's Barkha Dutt at the Jaipur Literature Festival, spoke on her India trip, the
Mumbai traffic which seemed straight out of a video game and lots more.

The utterance above is an direct literal (declarative) speech act. The speaker, Jaipur,
declares that Oprah having trip to India to attend the show, so we know the utterance is a
declarative speech act.
The Locutionary act of this utterance is the speaker want to tell about Oprah’s experience
in India where she got stuck in traffic. The Illocutionary act of this utterance is the
readers knowing that Oprah Winfrey was stuck in traffic on her way to Mumbai. The
Prelocutionary act of this utterance is the raises an assumption or thought that Mumbai is
a city full of traffic jams.
The violate of Maxim manner in this utterance is from the speaker said “the Mumbai
traffic which seemed straight out of a video game and lots more” to the audiences
without giving an explanation why that traffic happen.
2. Barkha Dutt:  We all love, admire and respect Oprah Winfrey so immensely. She is
easily the most loved and influential person on television anywhere in the world. Isn't
that right? Did you know? Did you know, listen to this guys, did you know that poll after
poll in the United States of America routinely says Oprah Winfrey has way more
credibility that any president or any head-of-state.

The utterance above is an direct literal speech act (declarative) speech act. The speaker,
Barkha Dutt, declares that everyone who attend that show love, admire and respect Oprah
Winfrey. Also the speaker declares Oprah Winfrey has way more credibility that any
president or any head-of-state.
The Locutionary act of this utterance to is the speaker want to tell about how their feeling
to Oprah Winfrey to the audience out there. The Illocutionary act of this utterance is the
reader knowing about their feeling to Oprah Winfrey. The Prelocutionary act of this
utterance is the raises of assumption and thought about the credibility of President or any
head-of-state in US which loses to Oprah Winfrey.
The violate of Maxim manner in this utterance is the speaker said “poll after poll in the
United States of America routinely says Oprah Winfrey has way more credibility that any
president or any head-of-state.”. That statement maybe raises a negative assumption and
thought to the President or Head-of-State in US.

3. Barkha Dutt:  But here's the important thing about Oprah Winfrey, her impact goes well
beyond television, she's remarkable and inimitable on television, but that's not,
according to me where her real impact is. It's in the world that exists outside the
television studio. Many people say that Barack Obama could not have become President
had Oprah Winfrey not endorsed him.

The utterance above is an direct literal (declarative) speech act. The, Barkha Dutt,
declares that Oprah have an impact beyond television and she also have an impact to
political condition in US.
 The Locutionary act of this utterance is the speaker want to tell about Oprah Winfrey
impact outside the television. The Illocutionary act of this utterance is the read knowing
that Oprah Winfrey also have an impact to the political condition in US which she help
Obama to win the election. The Prelocutionary act of this utterance is the knowing about
Oprah Winfrey was supporting Obama in US election.
The violate of Maxim manner in this utterance is the speaker said “Many people say that
Barack Obama could not have become President had Oprah Winfrey not endorsed him.”
The statement of the speaker can raises an assumption about Obama can’t win the
election without the help of Oprah Winfrey.

4. Oprah Winfrey: You did that so well, I'm looking to see is there a prompter? You're just
talking?

Barkha Dutt: Are you giving me a job?

Oprah Winfrey: I would welcome giving you a job, you know I have a network. You just
did that all, you just ..

Barkha Dutt: From the heart

Oprah Winfrey: Amazing. Because I'm looking to see where is the prompter?

Barkha Dutt: There's no prompter

Oprah Winfrey: There's no prompter, Bravo on that. That's good.

Barkha Dutt: Thank you, that's the best compliment I've ever got.

Oprah Winfrey: Good

The conversation above is direct non-literal (introgative) speech act. When Oprah started to
ask about” is there a prompter?” she makes an introgative speech act. Prompter is a person
seated out of sight of the audience who supplies a forgotten word or line to an actor during
the performance of a play, so she asked to Barkha is there a prompter just for praising Barkha
because she speak with her own word without the help of the prompter.

The Locutionary act of utterance in this conversation is Oprah want to praise Barkha because
she can speaks without the help of the promter. The Illocutionary act of utterance in this
coversation is the read knows that Barkha speaks without the help of the prompter, also the
read knows Oprah praises her. The Perlocutionry act of the utterance in this conversation is
Barkha feel happy about what Oprah said to her.

5. Barkha Dutt: You can see just from the reaction here how much people are excited to
see you here; how you've been mobbed by cameras, sometimes not so pleasantly,  are
fixated with you here in India. I've got to ask you, you know what I'm going to ask you?

Oprah Winfrey: No I don't even know what you're going to ask. I don't

In the conversation above (You can see just from the reaction here how many people are
excited to see you here; how you've been mobbed by cameras, sometimes not so pleasantly,
are fixed with you here in India.) have Locus Speech Acts because the presenter has just
stated a fact where people come to his talk show just to see Oprah Winfrey, then the type
becomes narrative because it tries to explain the situation that is happening to Them.

Next the show host said (I've got to ask you, you know what I'm going to ask you?) Shows
that this has an illocutionary act where the intent to ask Oprah if she knows the questions
asked to her , That kind of focus is suggestive because the host asks by guessing whether
Oprah as a great host knows what kind of questions will be asked even before the question is
asked.

Next Oprah answers (No I don't even know what you're going to ask. I don't) who has
Illocutionary Speech Acts by responding to questions asked by the host.
 6. Barkha Dutt: See this is the problem with interviewing the master. Alright. I've got to
ask you, what struck you about India the most stand-out thing that you're going to take
back with you, because I know you've met Indians from all classes, all walks of life,
you've been in the slums in Mumbai, you've dined and partied with the glitterati, you've
met ordinary middle-class and upper middle class women, you've seen the sites. What
strikes you?

Oprah Winfrey: What strikes me, what has impressed, I have 3 things, major, so can I
do 3 instead of 1?

Barkha Dutt: Absolutely.

In the sentence spoken by the master of ceremonies (See this is the problem with interviewing
the master) This test is intended to commend Oprah as a guest star who also indirectly has a
speech act of type of Consensus Illocution where the host recognizes that Oprah Winfrey is a
master of Talkshow

Next the host asked (Alright. I've got to ask you, what struck you about India is the most
stand-out thing that you're going to take back with you, because I know you've met Indians from
all classes, all walks of life, you've been in the slums in Mumbai, you've dined and partied with
the glitterati, you've ordinary middle-class and upper middle class women, you've seen the sites.
What strikes you?) this time the host asked Oprah the reason why she wanted to do it all which
was an Illocution speech act which meant to ask questions directly

Then Oprah answers (What strikes me, what has impressed me, I have 3 things, major, so can
I do 3 instead of 1?) Has an Illocutionary act by explaining that she has 3 things why only do 1?

Then, the presenter Barkha Dutt answered (Absolutely.) Who had the illocutionary act, which
was conclusive or agreeing with Oprah's words.
7. Oprah Winfrey: What has struck me the most is arriving in Mumbai, and I was with my
god-daughter, my best friend's daughter and we were driving, being driven and she said,
you know, this is like being in a video game. And we don't know which way to look and
you're like "Oh my gosh is that car going to hit us?!" And so, my first impression was
that it was, it's a bit chaotic and then I realized there's an underlying calm or flow, that
everybody else here gets the flow, and that as a foreigner, you have to get in and move
with the flow.

In the conversation above Oprah was explaining her experience. From this it can be seen
that Oprah is describing her experience with regard to questions raised so that it has
descriptive locution speech acts.

8. Oprah Winfrey: Now, before we came here, Deepak Chopra, great thought leader of
our times, I called him wanting to do an interview with him and he said he was going to
be coming to India and I, I have a vision board, I keep a vision board. First vision board
ever started was to get Barack Obama elected. It just had Barack Obama, and then I went
back; that vision board was right by my, in my bathroom by the bathtub. So every
morning I would say, "Barack Obama President, Barack Obama President, Barack
Obama President." Then, this was in 2007. Then, I had to go back and put 2008 so that
whoever was listening would know I didn't mean Barack Obama President 2012 or 2016,
so I only had that as a vision and then I put a picture, after Barack Obama won. I put a
picture I cut out of a magazine of a woman on a camel, and it said 'Come to India'. Come
to India', and I've held that as my vision, on my vision board, for the past 3 years. So this
idea of coming with Deepak, I went, 'Now it's time to fulfill the vision'.

At this time Oprah explained about how she wanted Barack obama to be a president and
actually happened as well as her desire to come to India and it happened too so this contained
a Locution speech act where Oprah told her wishes that had come true
9. Oprah Winfrey: So first impression, coming in the city, chaotic. And then being in the
city with more people than I've ever encountered in my life was, still feeling, not a sense
of being unsafe. I was feeling there's calmness underneath all of this, what is going on. So
what I will take with me is this sense of calmness, the fact that, I was speaking to Deepak
yesterday and saying, "What is it?" There is no rage, even though there are lots of people
in the street and there's lots going on. There is a genuine respect and a sense of karma.
The fact that the biggest thing I would take away is that people don't just talk religion
here, they live it. They live their practice. I'm most impressed with the fact that, you
know, when I've been in Colaba with a family in 6x6 feet, 5 people slept in the same
room, where there's a father raising, a mother raising her 3 daughters and there's an altar
in their home. And I've been at Aishwarya and Abhishek's home and there's an altar in
their home. I've been in middle class homes and there's an altar and there's a practice of
going inwards and looking at yourself, and something greater than yourself is an actual
practice every day. It's not just something people talk about.

Next Oprah explained her first impression when she first arrived in India that Oprah had
her own assessment by looking at some of the things that happened at that time in India.
therefore this speech act becomes Illocutionary with Descriptive type.

10. Barkha Dutt: So basically, you've figured out that there's a method to our madness.

Oprah Winfrey: I'm not sure what the method is.

Barkha Dutt: We don't know.

Oprah Winfrey: I don't know what the method is.

Barkha Dutt: We don't know either.

This time the Host asks (So basically, you've figured out that there's a method to our
madness.) Which becomes the Illocution directive, then Oprah answers (I'm not sure what
 the method is.) Which is the Host's Illocution response. But the Host replies (We don't know.)
Maybe the Host wants to guess if Oprah will ask her back so that it becomes an act of
suggestive Illocution. Oprah answers again (I don't know what the method is.) But Oprah
responds again by repeating it and confirming it then the Host repeats his statement again
(We don't know either.).

11. Oprah Winfrey: No, like, what is it with the red lights? I mean, does the red light mean
stop or not? Or is it just there for your entertainment? I don't get it. What is it? I mean,
the light is red and everybody just keeps going. But you all seem to know what you're
doing. I can tell you this. I would never be able to drive in this country. Not doing that,
not doing that. Yeah, okay. That's one, two; and three would be, the sense of family
tradition

In this conversation, Oprah is assessing how chaos especially on roads in India where no one
is obeying traffic rules and this will become a habit, so the type of speech act is descriptive
Illocution.

12. Oprah Winfrey: Now, when I had Aishwarya and Abhishek on my show, I was asking
the question, as Americans do, like how on earth do you all live with your parents?
What's that all about? And he said to me, "What is that all about that you don't?" And it's
the kind of thing that's really a foreign concept to those of us in America, because you're
just waiting to get out of the house. But having spent some time, and having a dinner at a
home with a family with 4 generations in one house, I now get it. I really get a sense of
how really glorious it is, that this is a country that has no respect for nursing homes,
because you take care of your family and you don't put your family in nursing homes. I
think that's a, I'm most amazed by that.

Next, Oprah explained that although India is a troubled country, India also has other good
sides such as not putting their parents in nursing homes and preferring to take care of themselves
like a Family she has been met, so this speech act is Illocution by adding assumptions about the
good side of India.
 13. Barkha Dutt: Before I get into asking a little bit about the families you met, you said there was
this vision board with a woman sitting on a camel, so I've got to ask you, did you sit on a camel?

Oprah Winfrey: No.

Barkha Dutt: Why?

Oprah Winfrey: Well, no one has offered me one yet.

Barkha Dutt: Okay.

In this conversation the Host asks Oprah (Before I get into asking a little bit about the families you
met, you said there was this vision board with a woman sitting on a camel, so I've got to ask you, did you
sit on a camel?) so the Actions said Illucution Directive, then Oprah answered (No.) which is the
Illocution Disputative, then the Host asked back (Why?) and answered Oprah (Well, no one has offered
me one yet.) which became Perlocuttion's speech act. where maybe Oprah actually wants to ride but no
one offers it so next time there is another chance someone will offer to ride a camel when seeing this
talkshow.

14. Oprah Winfrey: No, I did go to the queen's house the other night, the princess. As I entered
there were the camels and the elephants and I was like oh, there's the vision board, there they
are. I'm not riding one but there they are. Yes.

Barkha Dutt: You know that now you've said that no one's offered you one, when you exit,
there's going to be a line of camels at the door like I just know it's going to happen, so we'd
better get ready for that shot. More seriously, you spent time with a family in a slum in Mumbai,
where you met this little girl, Anchal.

Oprah Winfrey: Anchal

Oprah continues her words here again related to camels (No, I did go to the queen's house the other
night, the princess. As I entered there were the camels and the elephants and I was like oh, there is the
vision board, there they are. I 'm not riding one but there they are. Yes.) which becomes the Illocution
disability speech act where Oprah tries to distinguish it from her experience on other occasions, then
the Host again explains about the camel then moves to another topic (You know that now you've said
that no one's offered you one, when you exit, there's going to be a line of camels at the door like I just
know it's going to happen, so I'd better get ready for that shot More seriously, you spent time with a
family in a slum in Mumbai, where you met this little girl, Anchal.) So this speech act is Illocution
directive advisories and then changes the topic of the Illocution Directive.

15. Barkha Dutt: Anchal. And I know from talking to your team that you were absolutely moved by
her. Tell us a little bit about what this little girl represented to you?

The host asked again about the little girl who had previously been talked about and then asked Oprah
to tell it to the Host and the audience, so the Speech act was the Illocution Directive, Requestive.

16. Oprah Winfrey: Well, it's important to me, you know. I'm doing shows; my new series on, and
it's called 'the next chapter'. And it was important for me to do this country and try to represent
a broad point of view and not just show one thing. And we all know that there are millions and
millions and millions of poor people in this country and we all know that the slums are bad

This time she explained about her new show and also maybe the new event could represent a
situation of poverty that occurred by opening up a perspective on it, so the Speech act contained in
Oprah's utterances was Illocution Informative.
.