Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Lesson 1
What Are Speech Acts?
Table of Contents
Learning Competency 1
Specific Objectives 1
Learning Content 1
Topic 1
Materials 1
Reference 1
Time frame: 60 minutes 1
Learning Activities 2
Essential Question 2
Motivation 2
Warm Up 2
Lesson Proper 2
Springboard 2
Review 3
Presentation of Lesson 3
Discussion 3
Evaluation 5
Drills 5
Values Integration 6
Synthesis 6
Synthesis Activity 6
Possible Answers to the Essential Question 8
Assignment/Agreement 8
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Unit 6 | Speech Acts

Lesson 1: What Are Speech Acts?

Learning Competency
The learner
● responds appropriately and effectively to a speech act (EN11/12OC-Ifj-20).

Specific Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:
● identify the two types of utterances; and
● distinguish the type of utterances in conversations and other forms of discourse.

Learning Content
A. Topic
What Are Speech Acts?

B. Materials
● Presentation slides
● Copies of the drills
● Copies of the synthesis activity

C. Reference
Quipper Study Guide: Oral Communication in Context Unit 6: Speech Acts

D. Time frame: 60 minutes

1
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Learning Activities

Essential Question
1. If using technology, refer to slide 4 of the slide presentation.
2. If not using technology, write it on the board.
“How do speech acts affect communication?”
3. Instruct your students to reflect on the question for a minute. Ask some students to
answer the question. Let your students recall the communication process they have
recently engaged in and see how they can associate their rough concept of speech
acts with it. Elicit responses from the students.

A. Motivation

Warm Up

1. If using technology, refer to slide 5. If not, you

may write this statement on the board.
“It’s warm in here,” says a student coming into
the classroom.
2. If without technology, the teacher may also
reenact the image in order to allow the student
visualize the words.
3. Ask the students to answer the following:
● What is the literal meaning of the
statement?
● What underlying meaning does it have?
● What particular action can be done
based on the statement?

B. Lesson Proper

Springboard

After the warm-up activity, you may start the lesson by saying:

2
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

“Now, let’s notice that the simple statement ‘it’s warm in here’ could be interpreted
in three ways. As mentioned a while ago, the statement could mean that the
speaker is just plainly commenting about the temperature. However, the speaker
might also associate it with the emotions of anger or intensity of feelings in the
room. Lastly, the speaker may be uttering ‘it’s warm in here’ in order to suggest that
someone must turn on the ventilation or lower the temperature. Today, we are
going to discuss the different interpretations that a single statement may have.”

Review

Before starting the discussion on speech acts, do a review of the concept of

communication, utterances, and interlocutor. You may say or do the following:

● “Before we continue with our lesson, let’s try to decode these three (3) words first.
I believe, these have been mentioned also from the previous lessons.”
● Ask the students about what they recall about communication, utterances, and
interlocutor. You may create a word web on the board.
● If using technology, refer to slide 6.

Presentation of Lesson
1. After discussing the review of the lesson, proceed to the lesson proper.
2. If using technology, refer to slide 7 of the slide presentation.
Presentation File Link

Discussion

Language or words are used as a tool to convey messages, ideas, and opinions.
However, speech goes beyond the words that you literally say. Each time you speak,
you are actually doing something; that is, you are performing an action. This is
referred to as a speech act.

In 1962, John Langshaw Austin proposed the speech act theory. This theory was
further developed by John Rogers Searle in 1969. It is based on the premise that
words not only convey information but that they can also carry out actions. Both
Austin and Searle are concerned with what the speaker means—which is his or her
intention—when he or she says something rather than what the utterance literally
means in a language.

The speech act theory regards language as a sort of action instead of as a

medium for conveying and expressing ideas. This is often used in the field of

3
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

philosophy of languages. Previously, it was conceived that the very basic unit of
communication is words, symbols, or sentences. However, the speech act theory
disagrees with this, stating that the very basic unit of communication is the
production or issuance of words, symbols, and sentences. These basic units serve as
the building blocks of mutual understanding between people and what they intend
to communicate.

Kinds of Utterances

The speech act theory also emphasizes utterances, believing that their meaning
varies from how the speaker expresses them and how the listener perceives them.
Two kinds of utterances are identified by this theory:

1. Constative utterances describe a situation or insinuate assertions.

Examples are:
“She can write.”
“Tahani is getting married.”
“The weather seems fine.”

In the utterances above, the interlocutor simply stated descriptions or

observations.

2. Performative utterances are words that incite action.

Examples:
“Leave.”
“I order you to keep silent.”
“Submit your project now.”

In these examples, the speaker wants the person he is speaking with to perform
an action, so he uses certain words in a certain context that direct the other
person to perform the intended action.

Later on, Austin found that there is no clear distinction between these two types of
utterances. For instance, saying “The door is open” may incite action, as the listener
may take it to mean that the speaker wants him or her to enter or exit the room
through the door. Because of the lack of clear distinction, Austin then reviewed the
matter and created new classifications of speech acts: locution, illocution, and
perlocution.

4
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Web Box

To further enhance the students’ knowledge about constatives and performatives,

you may suggest that they watch the TedEd video "Speech acts: Constative and
performative" by Colleen Glenney Boggs.

Evaluation
Drills

Ask the students to work on the following exercises. You may print out copies from
here.

Identify whether the given sentence is a constative or performative

utterance.

1. Please pass the rice. (performative)

2. Eleanor explained Kierkegaard’s philosophy to Michael. (constative)
3. Have a seat. (performative)
4. The internet connection is so slow. (constative)
5. Someone’s eaten all the cake. (constative)
6. You’re a great doctor. (constative)
7. It’s her birthday tomorrow. (constative)
8. Give an example of a constative utterance. (performative)
9. Jason is coming for the event. (constative)
10. Listen carefully. (performative)

Give five examples each for constatives and performatives.

(Answers will vary.)

CONSTATIVES PERFORMATIVES

5
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Values Integration
Ask your students the following question to help them connect their learning to
real-world situations:
“The speech act theory states that to speak is to act. Whenever we say or utter
something, we do it for certain intentions. However, we still happen to
misinterpret or misunderstand things. What values should we inhibit in order
to prevent misunderstanding whenever we communicate?”

Synthesis

Synthesis Activity

Ask the students to work on the following activity. You may print out copies from
here.

Slogan Making: No to Single-Use Plastics

1. The class will be divided into two groups: performatives and constatives.
2. Each student under the two major groups will create a slogan advocating the
given theme above (no to single-use plastics).
3. Note that your slogan must be adherent to the kind of utterance assigned to the
group you belong in.
4. Write your output creatively on a short bond paper.

Criteria Beginning Developing Accomplishe Score

(1 point) (2 points) d (3 points)

Craftsmanship The slogan is The slogan is The slogan is

distractingly acceptably exceptionally

6
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

messy. attractive attractive in

though it may terms of
be a bit messy. neatness, well
constructed,
and not messy.

Creativity The slogan does The slogan is The slogan is

not reflect any creative and exceptionally
degree of some thought creative. A lot of
creativity. was put into thought and
decorating it. effort was used
to make the
banner.

Originality The student did The students The student

not use new exhibited exhibited
ideas and average use of exceptional use
originality to new ideas and of new ideas
create the slogan. originality to and originality
create the to create the
slogan. slogan.

Relevance to The slogan does The slogan The slogan

the theme not reflect the slightly reflects strongly reflects
type of utterance the type of the correct type
assigned and has utterances and of utterance
no relevance to is somehow and is
the theme. relevant to the significantly
theme. relevant to the
theme.

Total Score:

Web Box

You may give the students an option to submit their work online through Google
Docs. Assign a folder where they can submit and save their work. Remind them to
enable comment mode in their work so that their classmates can also give
feedback.

7
 Unit 6: Speech Acts • Grade 11/12

Possible Answers to the Essential Question

Possible answer 1: Speech acts affect the clarity of communication.

Possible answer 2: Speech acts affect the way the communicators interpret a message.

Possible answer 3: Speech acts affect the relationship of the communicators through the
underlying intentions of their messages.

Assignment/Agreement
Below is a chart with three verbs. Use each verb to create both a performative utterance
and a constative utterance.

know P:

C:

promise P:

C:

apologize P:

C: