Type of Speech Act
ROSE ANN T. CASTILLO
A speech act is an utterance that a
SPEECH
speaker makes to achieve an intended effect.
Speech acts are performed when a
person offers an apology, greeting, request,
ACT complaint, invitation compliment, or refusal.
Speech act is an act of communication.
According to J. L. Austin (1962), a philosopher
of language and the developer of the Speech
Three Types of
Act Theory, there are three types of acts in
Speech Act every utterance, given the right circumstances
or context.
• LOCUTIONARY
THREE TYPES
• ILLOCUTIONARY
OF SPEECH ACT
• PERLOCUTIONARY
is th e a c t u a l a c t o f u t t e r i n g o r s a y ing s o m e thing .
Th is ac t happens w ith the u tte rances o f a so und, a
wo r d o r e v e n a p h r as e a s a n a tu r a l u n it o f s p e ech .
F o r the u tte ranc es to be a Loc u tionary Ac t, c ons ider
th e f o llo win g :
Locutionary • I t h a s s e n s e, a n d m o s tly im p o r ta ntly, f or
c o m m u nicatio n to ta k e p la c e .
Act • It ha s the sa me me an ing to bo th the
s p e ake r a n d th e lis te n e r .
• Utte rance s g ive r ise t o sh ared mean ing
when it is a d j us t ed by th e spe aker f or the
lis te n e r .
2. Illocutionary act is the social function of what is
said.
In an illocutionary speech act, it is not just saying
something itself but with the act of saying something
with the intention of:
• stating an opinion, conforming, or denying something;
• making a prediction, a promise, a request;
• issuing an order or a decision; or
• giving advice or permission.
This Speech Act uses the Illocutionary Force of a
statement, a confirmation, a denial, a prediction, a
promise, a request, etc.
3. Perlocutionary act re fers to the conse quent
e ffect of what was said.
This is base d on the particular conte xt in
which the speech act was me ntioned.
This is se en whe n a particular e ffect is sought
from either the spe aker or the listener, or
both. The re sponse may not ne cessarily be
physical or ve rbal and is e licited by:
• inspiring or insulting
• pe rsuading/convincing; or
• de terring/scaring
The aim of Pe rlocutionary Spe ech Act is to
change fe elings, thoughts, or actions.
Searles’s Classification
As a re sponse to Austin’s Spe ech Act The ory, John Se arle (1976),
a professor from the University of California, Be rkeley, classified
illocutionary acts into five distinct cate gories.
Assertive
a type of illocutionary act in which the spe aker e xpresses
be lief about the truth of a proposition. Some e xamples of an
asse rtive act are suggesting, putting forward, swe aring, boasting
and concluding.
Directive
a type of illocutionary act in which the spe aker tries to
make the addressee pe rform an action. Some e xamples of a
directive act are asking, ordering, re questing, inviting, advising,
and be gging.
Commissive
a type of illocutionary act which commits the spe aker to
doing some thing in the future. Examples of a commissive act are
promising, planning, vowing, and be tting.
Expressive
a type of illocutionary act in which the spe aker e xpresses
his/her fe elings or e motional re actions. Some e xamples of an
e xpressive act are thanking, apologizing, we lcoming and
de ploring.
Declaration
a type of illocutionary act which brings a change in the
e xte rnal situation. Simply put, de clarations bring into e xistence
or cause the state of affairs which the y re fer to. Some e xamples
of de clarations are ble ssing, firing, baptizing, bidding, passing a
se ntence, and e xcommunicating.
