Summary of Speech Act Theory and Its Classifications
Speech Act Theory and Its Classifications: A Student Guide
Introduction
Speech acts are actions performed by using language. When people speak, they do more than exchange information: they make requests, give orders, apologize, promise, and change social situations. This material explains the main types of speech acts, the three related acts that occur when someone speaks, how context and social roles shape interpretation, and practical examples you can apply in everyday communication.
Definition: A speech act is an action performed via utterance; the speaker expects the listener to recognize the speaker's intention.
The three related acts in every utterance
When an utterance is produced, three related acts occur simultaneously:
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Locutionary act
- This is the basic act of producing a meaningful linguistic expression: the words, grammar, and literal meaning.
- Example: Saying “I am hungry.” is a locutionary act describing the speaker's state.
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Illocutionary act
- This is the social function or intended force of the utterance: what the speaker is doing by saying the words (requesting, promising, ordering, etc.).
- Example: Saying “Please give me some food.” performs the illocutionary act of requesting.
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Perlocutionary act
- This is the effect the utterance has on the listener — the actual response or change caused.
- Example: After “Please give me some food.” the hearer prepares or offers food; that effect is the perlocutionary act.
Definition: A locutionary act is the production of a meaningful utterance.
Definition: An illocutionary act is the intended communicative force of the utterance.
Definition: A perlocutionary act is the effect produced on the listener by the utterance.
Austin’s influential classifications of speech acts
John Austin grouped speech acts into five major types. These types describe what speakers do when they speak:
| Type | What it does | Example utterance |
|---|---|---|
| Representatives | Commit the speaker to the truth of a proposition; carry truth value | “The meeting starts at 3 pm.” |
| Directives | Attempt to get the listener to do something | “Could you close the window?” |
| Commissives | Commit the speaker to a future action (promises, offers) | “I will submit the report tomorrow.” |
| Expressives | Express the speaker’s psychological state | “I’m sorry for being late.” |
| Declarations | Change the social reality by being uttered (require institutional role) | “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” |
Definition: Representatives commit the speaker to the truth of the expressed proposition.
Definition: Directives aim to get the addressee to perform an action.
Definition: Commissives commit the speaker to a future course of action.
Definition: Expressives convey the speaker’s attitudes or emotions.
Definition: Declarations bring about a change in the external situation through their utterance.
Sentence types and their conventional forces
Certain grammatical sentence forms commonly map onto particular illocutionary forces:
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Interrogatives: Ask questions; typically begin with a question word or auxiliary.
- Examples: “Is today Thursday?”; “Which car would make you happier?”; “Do you want ice-cream?”
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Imperatives: Give commands, requests, advice, or suggestions.
- Examples: “Move your bicycle!”; “Have a cookie.”; “Turn right here.”
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Declaratives: Often used for performing declarations when uttered by someone with authority.
- Examples: “We find the defendant not guilty.”; “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Definition: Context is the situational, cultural, and social information that influences how an utterance is interpreted.
How context and social roles shape interpretation
- Utterance meaning depends on more than words: situation, p
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Speech Acts Overview
Klíčové pojmy: Speech acts are actions performed via utterances and rely on speaker intention and listener recognition., Every utterance has three related acts: locutionary (words), illocutionary (force), perlocutionary (effect)., Locutionary act: production of meaningful linguistic expression., Illocutionary act: the intended communicative function (request, promise, etc.)., Perlocutionary act: the actual effect on the listener or situation., Austin's five types: representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, declarations., Context and social roles determine how utterances are interpreted and whether declarations succeed., Interrogatives ask questions; imperatives give commands/requests; declaratives can change social status when uttered by authorized persons., Indirect speech acts rely heavily on shared context and can cause cross-cultural misunderstandings., Declarations require institutional authority to change the world as uttered.