Speech Act theory

Group 3 -Lincoln
Oral Communication in Context For Senior High School –first edition 2016
 John Langshaw Austin
(26 March 1911 – 8 February 1960)

▪ was a British philosopher of language and

leading proponent of ordinary language
philosophy.
▪ he introduced this theory in 1975 in his well-
known book of How to Do Things With Words,
1962.
▪ best known for developing the theory
of speech acts.
https://www.communicationtheory.org/speech-act-theory/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._L._Austin#How_to_Do_Things_with_Words https://www.thoughtco.com/speech-act-theory-1691986
 Speech act theory

▪ Speech-act theory is a subfield of pragmatics. This area of study

is concerned with the ways in which words can be used not only
to present information but also to carry out actions.
▪ It is used in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, legal and
literary theories, and even the development of artificial
intelligence.
▪ Speech-act theory was introduced in 1975 by Oxford
philosopher J.L. Austin in "How to Do Things With Words" and
further developed by American philosopher J.R. Searle.

https://www.thoughtco.com/speech-act-theory-1691986
 What is Speech Act?

• In linguistics, a speech act is an utterance defined in terms of a speaker's intention

and the effect it has on a listener.
• Speech acts might be requests, warnings, promises, apologies, greetings, or any
number of declarations.
• Speech acts are the speaker’s utterances which convey meaning and make listeners
do specific things (Austin, 1962). According to Austin (1962), when saying a
performative utterance, a speaker is simultaneously doing something.`
Oral Communication in Context For Senior High School –first edition 2016 https://www.thoughtco.com/speech-act-linguistics-1692119 https://www.slideshare.net/EjeSeastres/oral-comm-types-of-speech-act?fbclid=IwAR3y0QyBQ76LMNlKVqyeUSz1PfazCIAKo1H-oVhjp5KalXcmI0O6S5pwzsU
 Speech act is divided into three (3)
categories:

▪Locution/Locuctionary act
(utterance)
▪Illocutionary act (intention)
▪Perlocutionary act (response)

Oral Communication in Context For Senior High School –first edition 2016
Oral Communication in Context For Senior High School –first edition 2016
 Locution/Locutionary Act (utterance)

• Locutionary Act
 Saying something (the locution) with a certain meaning in traditional
sense
 the act of making a meaningful utterance, a stretch of
spoken language that is preceded by silence and followed by silence or a
change of speaker—also known as a locution or an utterance act.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/locution, https://www.thoughtco.com/locutionary-act-speech-1691257,
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/speech_act.htm
 Two types of Locutionary Act

Utterance acts
 Where something is said (or a sound is made) and which may not
have any meaning.
 An utterance act is a speech act that consists of the verbal
employment of units of expression such as words and sentences
Propositional acts
 By contrast, propositional acts are those, as Searle noted, where a
particular reference is made.
 Propositional acts are clear and express a specific definable point, as
opposed to mere utterance acts, which may be unintelligible sounds.

https://www.thoughtco.com/locutionary-act-speech-1691257 http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/speech_act.htm?fbclid=IwAR3jrqXbzHZ8VkBa_X-vXox0GBGi4zGT4ieAnesSKAmaMMokM-3kyeNDal8
 Illocutionary Act (intention)
▪ the term illocutionary act refers to the use of a sentence to express an
• attitude
the performance of an
with a certain function act incalled
or "force," saying something
an illocutionary (vs.
force, which
differs from locutionary acts in that they carry a certain urgency and appeal
theand
to the meaning general
direction act
of theof saying something).
speaker.
• illocutionary
▪ the The illocutionary force for
act carries a directive is the speaker's
the audience, such asintent. A
promising,
true 'speech act'.
ordering, apologizing and thanking.

• the speaker's
▪ An illocutionary intention
act refers to the performance of what
of an is to something
act in saying be
specific (as opposed to the general act of just saying something)
accomplished by the speech act.
▪ In an illocutionary speech act, it is not just saying something itself, but the act
of saying something with the intention of: stating an opinion, confirming, or
denying something , making a prediction, a promise, a request, issuing an
order or a decision, giving an advice or permission.
https://www.thoughtco.com/illocutionary-act-speech-1691044 https://www.thoughtco.com/locutionary-act-speech-1691257 http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/speech_act.htm?fbclid=IwAR3jrqXbzHZ8VkBa_X-vXox0GBGi4zGT4ieAnesSKAmaMMokM-3kyeNDal8
https://www.slideshare.net/EjeSeastres/oral-comm-types-of-speech-act?fbclid=IwAR3y0QyBQ76LMNlKVqyeUSz1PfazCIAKo1H-oVhjp5KalXcmI0O6S5pwzsU
 Perlocutionary act (response)

▪ a perlocutionary act is an action or state of mind brought

about by, or as a consequence of, saying something. It is
also known as a perlocutionary effect.
▪ this is seen when a particular effect is sought from either
the speaker, the listener, or both.
▪ Speech acts that have an effect on the feelings, thoughts or
actions of either the speaker or the listener. In other words,
they seek to change minds!
▪ The aim of perlocutionary speech act is to change feelings,
thoughts, or actions.
https://www.thoughtco.com/perlocutionary-act-speech-1691611 http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/speech_act.htm?fbclid=IwAR3jrqXbzHZ8VkBa_X-vXox0GBGi4zGT4ieAnesSKAmaMMokM-3kyeNDal8 https://www.slideshare.net/EjeSeastres/oral-comm-types-of-speech-
act?fbclid=IwAR3y0QyBQ76LMNlKVqyeUSz1PfazCIAKo1H-oVhjp5KalXcmI0O6S5pwzsU
 John Searle(born July 31, 1932, Denver,
Colorado, U.S.)

▪ American philosopher best known for his work in the

philosophy of language—especially speech act theory—and the
philosophy of mind
▪ In his first major work, Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy
of Language (1969), Searle treated speech acts much more
systematically than Austin had.
▪ He proposed that each kind of speech act can be defined in
terms of a set of rules that identify the conditions that are
individually necessary and collectively sufficient for “sincerely
and non-defectively” performing an act of that kind.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Searle?fbclid=IwAR3ItOooVo-eTjBvRd8IT8KwHZRJUJIFOo8RtJECcJ0oW-9QS3vlY5rEQ6k
 Searle identified five
illocutionary/perlocutionary points:

▪ Assertives: Statements that may be judged true or false because

they aim to describe a state of affairs in the world
▪ Directives: Statements that attempt to make the other person's
actions fit the propositional content
▪ Commissives: Statements that commit the speaker to a course of
action as described by the propositional content
▪ Expressives: Statements that express the sincerity condition of the
speech act
▪ Declaratives: Statements that attempt to change the world by
representing it as having been changed

https://www.thoughtco.com/locutionary-act-speech-1691257
Quiz

1. HE is best known for developing the theory of speech acts.

7-9. Give the 3 types of speech act.
2. is a speech act that produces an effect, intended or not, achieved in
anan
10. is addressee
utterancebythat
a speaker's
a speakerutterance.
makes to achieve an intended effect.
3. type of illocutionary act in which the speaker expresses belief about
the truth of a proposition.
4. Where something is said (or a sound is made) and which may not
have any meaning.
5. The speaker’s intent.
6. He proposed that each kind of speech act can be defined in terms of
a set of rules