TOPIC

Types of Speech Acts

10 WEEK 12 DURATION 180 mins

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

a. identify and determine the speech act used in different situations;
b. provide own examples of the types of speech act; and
c. recognize that communicative competence requires understanding of speech acts.

PRESENTATION

ACTIVITY: Take the short quiz below and check if you can discern the meaning behind
the utterance.

1. Which of the following statements if the speaker making a commitment?

a. “I checked her Facebook profile yesterday.”
b. “I’m in love and I’m happy!”
c. “I promise to love you for better or for worse.”
d. “I think following my suggestion will get us a good grade.”

2. You and your friend who has a fever enter your room. She shivers and tells you, “It’s cold
in here!” How would you interpret what she said?
a. She feels cold.
b. She wants me to increase the temperature in the room.
c. She does not feel well because of the cold.
d. She is complimenting the temperature in my room.

3. Based on the scenario in item number 2, what would your next action be?
a. I will thank my friend.
b. I will agree with her and say that the room is cold.
j c. I will increase the temperature to decrease the coldness.
d. I will ignore my friend.

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 4.What do you think does the speaker mean when he/she says, “Can you open the door?”
a. The speaker wants to know if I have the ability to open the door.
b. The speaker is requesting me to open the door.
c. The speaker does not make sense.
d. The speaker is asking me a question.

DISCUSSION

SPEECH ACTS
A speech act is an utterance that a speaker makes
to achieve an intended effect. Some of the
functions which are carried out using speech acts
are offering an apology, greeting, request, complaint,
invitation, compliment, or refusal. A speech act
might contain just one word or several words or
sentences. For example, “Thanks” and “Thank you
for always being there for me. I really appreciate it”
both show appreciation regardless of the length of
the statement.

According to J. L. Austin (1962), a philosopher of language and the developer of the Speech
Act Theory, there are three types of acts in every utterance, given the right circumstances or
context.

LOCUTIONARY
According to J. L. Austin (1962), a philosopher of languageACT
and the developer of the Speech Act Theory,
there are three types of acts in every utterance, given the right circumstances or context.
This is the utterance or the act of saying the actual
words to represent an idea.
Example:
Speech Situation: Speakers need to go to the library
but it started to rain.
Speaker 1: Let’s go to the library.
Speaker 2: I don’t have an umbrella.
Both speakers are uttering words which expresses
ideas. Speaker 1’s utterance literally means that he
wants to go to the library while speaker 2’s utterance
means that he does not have an umbrella.

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 ILLOCUTIONARY ACT
This is the social function of what is said. The
intention or purpose of the speaker in saying such
an utterance.
Example:
Speech Situation: Speakers need to go to the
library but it started to rain.
Speaker 1: Let’s go to the library.
Speaker 2: I don’t have an umbrella.
Using the same example, we can see that Speaker
1 is expressing his idea literally. He is declaring that
they should go to the library. Speaker 2, on the
other hand is implying an intent. Given the speech
situation, we are able to understand the intent of
both speakers.

PERLOCUTIONARY ACT

This is the resulting act of what is said or the

receiver’s response to the speaker’s intention.
Example:
Speech Situation: Speakers need to go to the
library but it started to rain.
Speaker 1: Let’s go to the library.
Speaker 2: I don’t have an umbrella
Speaker 1: Okay. Let’s just wait here until the
rain stops.

CHECK THIS OUT: (Video 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpZFJctBUHQ

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As a response to Austin’s Speech Act Theory, John Searle (1976), a professor from the
University of California – Berkeley, classified illocutionary acts into five distinct categories.

ASSERTIVE DIRECTIVE
A type of illocutionary act in which the
A type of illocutionary act in which the
speaker expresses belief about the truth of a
speaker tries to make the addressee perform
proposition
an action.
Some examples of an assertive act are
Some examples of a directive act are asking,
suggesting, putting forward, swearing,
ordering, requesting, inviting, advising, and
boasting, and concluding.
begging.
Example: No one makes better pancakes
Example: Please close the door.
than I do.

COMMISSIVE EXPRESSIVE
A type of illocutionary act in which the
A type of illocutionary act which commits speaker expresses his/her feelings or
the speaker to doing something in the emotional reactions.
future.
Some examples of an expressive act are
Examples of a commissive act are promising, thanking, apologizing, welcoming, and
planning, vowing, and betting. deploring.

Example: From now on, I will participate in Example: I am so sorry for not helping out in
our group activity. our group projects and letting you do all the
work.

DECLARATIVE
A type of illocutionary act which brings a
change in the external situation. Simply put,
declarations bring into existence or cause
the state of affairs which they refer to.

Some examples of declarations are a

blessing, firing, baptizing, bidding, passing a
sentence, and excommunicating. NOTE: Communicative competence (i.e. the
ability to use linguistic knowledge to
Example: You are fired! effectively communicate with others) is
essential for a speaker to be able to use and
By saying someone is fired, an employer understand speech acts. Idioms and other
causes or brings about the person’s nuances in a certain language might be lost
unemployment, thus changing his external or misunderstood by someone who does not
situation. fully speak a certain language.

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 TASKS

ACTIVITY 1: See the dialogue below. Explain the perlocutionary and illocutionary acts of
each sentence of the dialogue. (20 pts)
LOCUTIONARY ILLOCUTIONARY PERLOCUTIONARY
ACT ACT (2x5 pts) ACT (2x5 pts)

1. Simon: Juls, turn on the lights.

2. Julius: Sorry, could you repeat that?

3. Simon: The lights, please.

4. Julius: Oh! Right, I got it.

5. Simon: Thanks.

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ACTIVITY 2: Complete the following table with information related to Searle’s
Classification of Speech Acts.
Example:

Classification of
Specific Situation Example
Speech Act

“I’m the only one in school

Chris bought a new gadget, and he
Assertive who has this new iPhone
shows it off to his friends.
model.”

Your turn:

Classification of Speech Act Specific Situation Example

Assertive

Directive

Commissive

Expressive

Declaration

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 REFERENCES

Gador, S., Malimas, M.A., & Turano, C. (2016). Speak Confidently: A Comprehensive Worktext
in
Oral Communication for Senior High School. Cebu City. SoLINE Publishing Company Inc.
Balgos, A.R. & Sipacio, P. J.(2016). Oral Communication in Context for Senior High School.
Quezon City.C&E Publishing Inc.
https://prezi.com/pfmzgq5m1g8a/speech-acts/

Prepared by:

Meralyn M. Omerez, LPT Sievney Klyze G. Quidet

Assistant Instructor Assistant Instructor

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