Speech act &

strategies
Week 5
Say
present!
Beadle, present the
names of those who are
absent for today, with
section, date, and set
included.
What did you
learn last
meeting?
Online: Type your answers in
the chatbox

* Note – this will serve as

your attendance.
Speech context
style
 Communication

You can write the comma rules here:

● Compound sentence
● Series
● Dialog
● Direct address
● Introductory phrase
● Transition words
 01
Speech ACTS

What is act/action?
 Speech acts

01 Locutionar
y Utterance 02 illocutiona
ry Force

03 Perlocutionar
y Response
locutionar
y
A locutionary act is the act of making a meaningful utterance. It
is also called an utterance act.
It is the using of using referring and predicating expressions to
call out a proposition.
For example in the utterance “You should stop smoking”, the
referring expression is You and the predicating expressing is stop
smoking.
 In performing a locutionary act, we shall be -
• Asking or answering a question
• Giving some information, assurance or
warning
• Pronouncing a sentence
• Announcing a verdict or intention
• Making an identification
• Giving a description
Illocutiona
ry
 It is a way in which a sentence is used to express an attitude with a
certain function or ”force”.

Steven Davis notes that an illocutionary act can be made explicit by

the use of a performative verb formula.

For example, if a speaker says “I’ll be there” and it is unclear

whether it is a promise that has been made,
The speaker can make it explicit by making it explicit by saying
“I’ll promise that I’ll be there”. (Anti- individualism and Speech
Act Theory, 1994)
 Searle’s Classification of
Speech Acts
#1. #2. #3.
ASSERTI DIRECTI COMMIS
VE belief
expresses VE SIVE
Commitment
Perform an action

#4. #5.
EXPRESSI DECLARA
VE
Expresses TION
Changes in external
feelings situation
Perlocutiona
ry
• It is an action or state of mind brought about by or as a consequence of saying
something.

 The perlocutionary act is the consequent effect on the hearer which the speaker
intends should follow from his utterance.

 In a perlocutionary instance, an act is performed as a result of saying

something.

 Example, someone shouts FIRE! and causes people to exit a

building which they believe to be on fire. They perform a
perlocutionary act by convincing other people to do the same.
activity
What speech act is
given in each item?
 Locutionary,
Illocutionary, &
Perlocutionary
1. He must finalize his decision.
2. I will do it. I promise to do it now.
3. Stop drinking liquor, I am warning you
4. You should do your part very well.
5. Grenade! There’s a grenade.
 Locutionary, Illocutionary, &
Perlocutionary
6. I’ll remove your part in the program. Bear in
mind that I’ll remove you.
7. They need to dress up early.
8. Fire! There’s a fire at the third floor of the
building.
9. You should do your job patiently.
10. Bomb! Bomb at the park