PRAGMATIC

S
(SPEECH ACT)
AN INTRODUCTION TO SPEECH ACT
 When we say something, it means that we do something.
 Speaking a language is engaging in a rule-governed form of
behavior.
 Talking is performing acts according to rules.
 Take a close look at these utterances (notice: a speaker and
a hearer)
1. Sam smokes habitually
2. Does Sam smoke habitually?
3. Sam, smoke habitually!
 From those utterances, how we might characterize the
speaker’s utterance of one of those.
 In uttering (1) a speaker is making an assertion.
 In (2) asking a question.
 In (3) giving an order.
THE CLASSIFICATION OF SPEECH ACT

 Locutionary act (the act of saying something)

 Illocutionary act (the act of doing something)
 Perlocutionary act (the act of affecting someone)
LOCUTIONARY ACT
 This is the act of simply uttering a sentence from a language; it
description of what the speaker says.
 It is the act of using a referring expression(e.g., a noun phrase)
and a predicating expression (e.g., a verb phrase or adjective).
 For instance, if I say my watch is broken, the referring
expression is my watch and the predicating expression is is
broken.
 Locutionary act, at least, are not very important for
understanding speech acts.
ILLOCUTIONARY ACT
 This is what the speaker intends to do by uttering a sentence.
 Illocutionary act would include stating, promising, apologizing,
threatening, predicting, ordering, and requesting (Parker, 1986:
15).
 (Searle, 1990: 357-363) divides speech acts into:
 Representatives >>>>> hypothesize, suggest, swear.
 Directive >>>>> command, request, invite.
 Commissives >>>>> promise, threaten.
 Expressives >>>>> thank, congratulate, welcome.
 Declarations >>>>> declare, name.
 The intend associated with an illocutionary act is sometimes
called the illocutionary force of the utterance.
 For example, If I say Close the door, the illocutionary force of
the utterance is an order.
 Illocutionary acts, unlike locutionary acts, are at the very heart
of our understanding of speech acts.
PERLOCUTIONARY ACT
 This is the effect on the hearer of what a speaker says.
 Perlocutionary acts would include such effects as persuading,
embarrassing, intimidating, boring, irritating, or inspiring the
hearer.
 Take a close look at these utterances, if a husband says to his
wife ten times in five minutes Hurry up dear, we’re going to be
late for the party.
 The illocutionary act might be one of urging, but the
perlocutionary act is likely to be one of irritating.
 As with illocutionary acts, the effect associated with a
perlocutionary act is sometimes referred to as the
perlocutionary force of the utterance.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH ACT
 Direct speech act, in general. The syntactic form of an
utterance reflects the direct illocutionary act.
 For example:
(1) The earth is round
(2) What time is it?
(3) Bring me my coat!
 Indirect speech act, in general, the syntactic form of an
utterance does not reflect any indirect illocutionary act
associated with it.
 For example:
(1) Could you bring me my coat?
(2) Can you pass the salt?
A FEW MORE EXAMPLES OF INDIRECT
SPEECH ACT.
 (a) Suppose Mrs. Olsen is in her kitchen baking brownies, and
a tramp comes to the back door and says I haven’t had
anything to eat in three days.
 If Mrs. Olsen were to respond to the direct act, she might say
Gee, I just had six brownies; they were delicious! And than close
the door.
 Such a respond, however, would be inappropriate in this
context; so she assumes that the tramp is using the utterance
to perform indirect act, namely one of requesting.
 (b) It’s 8:00 p.m. and bedtime for
Junior, who is watching television.
 His mother says, Don’t you think it’s
time to go bed? Again, this is an
indirect speech act.
 In this example, the mother using an
interrogative structure to give order.
LITERAL AND NONLITERAL SPEECH ACTS
 Another phenomenon that theory of language use has to
account for is the fact that speakers sometimes mean what
they say literally and sometimes not.
 For example:
(1) If I eat eight jelly donuts and then announce I feel just
awful, I mean exactly what I say. Thus, this utterance
constitutes a literal speech act.
(2) Now, imagine a student in a syntax class who does not
know the concepts of syntax at all. As he begin the midterm
exam. He turns to his friend and says I just love taking syntax
tests. He does not mean what this at he says. This utterance,
then, would constitute a nonliteral speech act.
INTERACTION OF DIRECT-INDIRECT AND
LITERAL-NONLITERAL SPEECH ACTS

 Literal and Direct.

 Nonliteral and Direct.
 Literal and Indirect.
 Nonliteral and Indirect.
LITERAL AND DIRECT SPEECH
ACT
 Suppose you are having a physical examination and the doctor
says Stick out your tongue.
 It is literal because the doctor means exactly what these words
say.
 It is direct because an imperative structure is being used to
perform a direct illocutionary act, namely making request.
NONLITERAL AND DIRECT
 Suppose Joe and Jack are leaving a four-hour Syntax and
Semantics exam.
 Joe says to Jack That was the most miserable test I’ve ever
taken.
 Jack responds by saying You can say that again.
 This is a nonliteral direct speech act.
 It is nonliteral because Jack does not mean exactly what his
word say (i.e., he does not want Joe to repeat his original
statement)
 It is direct because Jack is using a declarative structure to
perform a direct illocutionary act, namely making statement.
LITERAL AND INDIRECT
 Imagine that you and a friend are seated at a table in a
restaurant. The butter is on your friend’s side of the table, out
of your reach.
 You say I’d like some butter.
 It is a literal because you are you mean what your word say
(i.e., you would like some butter).
 It is indirect because you are using a declarative structure to
perform a direct illocutionary act of stating and indirect
illocutionary act of requesting.
 Note that if your friend were to respond to the direct
illocutionary act by saying And I like a million of dollars, it
would be inappropriate.
NONLITERAL AND INDIRECT
 Suppose Mr. White is sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s
office. A woman and her six year old daughter walk in and sit
down. After a few minutes the little girl begins to run around
the waiting room, yelling at the top of her lungs. She then stops
right in front of Mr. White and lets out her best war whoop.
 Mr. White says Why don’t you yell a little louder?
 It is nonliteral because Mr. White does not mean what his words
say (i.e., he does not want her to yell louder).
 It is indirect because Mr. White is using an interrogative
structure to perform the indirect illocutionary act of making
request (i.e., that the little girl be quiet).
 Note that if the child were to respond to the direct illocutionary
act by saying Because I’m already yelling as loud as I can!, it
would be inappropriate.