Unit 2

Theory of Speech ActsTheory of Speech ActsTheory of Speech ActsTheory of Speech Acts
Linguists used to focus on language
form rather than language function
formationformationformationformation
of the wordsof the wordsof the wordsof the words
MeaningMeaningMeaningMeaning
Linguistics
Order of theOrder of theOrder of theOrder of the
wordswordswordswords
MeaningMeaningMeaningMeaning
of theof theof theof the
wordswordswordswords
There’s a difference between what we say and
what we really want to express

CorrectnessCorrectnessCorrectnessCorrectness
It refers to the correct use of grammar
rules to create well formed words,
sentences and expressions. This aspect
doesn’t take into account the situation in
which the language is being used.
Correctness : Language FormCorrectness : Language FormCorrectness : Language FormCorrectness : Language Form
Appropriatness: language FunctionAppropriatness: language FunctionAppropriatness: language FunctionAppropriatness: language Function
Case 1 Case 2
a. How is you? a. Are you hungry?
b. Yes, I am hungry
a. Do you want to eat?
b. Yes, I want to eat

AppropriatenessAppropriatenessAppropriatenessAppropriateness
It refers to whether what we say or write is
appropriate to the situation where the
communication is taking place
Case 1 Case 2
Correctness : language formCorrectness : language formCorrectness : language formCorrectness : language form
Appropriatness: language functionAppropriatness: language functionAppropriatness: language functionAppropriatness: language function
Case 1 Case 2
a. How are you?
b. Not too bad… and
you?
a. Are you feeling OK?
b. Why? Do I look
terrible?
The ability to judge, recognize and use the language
will help us being communicative competent

Signification and Value: kinds of meaningSignification and Value: kinds of meaningSignification and Value: kinds of meaningSignification and Value: kinds of meaning
SignificationSignificationSignificationSignification
It refers to the meaning that
words, phrases, expressions
take when they are used in
isolation, without a context.
Example:
One word can adopt different meanings
(when it is decontextualized) and
those meanings refer to signification.
Example:
May: fifth month of the year
verb which expresses permission

ValueValueValueValue
It refers to the meaning that
words, phrases or expressions
can adopt when they are used
within a context.
Case 1 Case 2
So one word will have different meanings in isolation but
it’ll only adopt one specific value when it is contextualized.
Case 1 Case 2
a. When is your
birthday?
b. On May, 15th…
a. Teacher, May I come
in?
b. hmmm… you’re too
late!

ValueValueValueValue
Case 1
A guy telling the
girl he likes:
Case 2
A student telling
his/her teacher:girl he likes: his/her teacher:
a. Let’s go dancing
b. It’s too late
a. May I come in?
b. It’s too late
I don’t like you/
I’m tired/
I don’t want to
No you can’t/
Be more responsible

The same word (or phrase) can adopt different
values because of the co-text and different situations
in which it is used.
This implies that we need to go beyond words and
focus on language function.
The theory of speech act is going to help us
achieve this goal

Linear Communication ModelLinear Communication ModelLinear Communication ModelLinear Communication Model
THETHETHETHE THETHETHETHETHETHETHETHE
The T.S.A. refers to how communication
functions in social interaction. It refers to
how people understand what others
mean when they use the language.
THETHETHETHE
SPEAKERSPEAKERSPEAKERSPEAKER
THETHETHETHE
LISTENERLISTENERLISTENERLISTENER
THETHETHETHE
MESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGE
What do you think is wrong about this model?
What doesn’t take into consideration?

Contextual information relevant for discourseContextual information relevant for discourseContextual information relevant for discourseContextual information relevant for discourse
understandingunderstandingunderstandingunderstanding
Speakers’ characteristics: their sex, age or
nationality
Speakers’ relationship:
father and son, just
friends, two politicians,
school’s secretary and
school’s principal
Social context: a party,
a class, a TV
interview, a restaurant
school’s principal
The channel: speech,
writing, signing,
smoke signs
The communicative
purpose: to entertain,
to teach, to defend
one’s ideas
The speakers’ knowledge about the topic: totally
unknown, very familiar

Theory of speech Acts:Theory of speech Acts:Theory of speech Acts:Theory of speech Acts:
THETHETHETHE
Locution Illocution Perlocution
Austin (1962) and Searle (1981)
presented a complete model:
THETHETHETHE
SPEAKERSPEAKERSPEAKERSPEAKER
THETHETHETHE
LISTENERLISTENERLISTENERLISTENER
THETHETHETHE
MESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGE
Context Context

Locution Illocution Perlocution
Austin (1962) and Searle (1981)
presented a complete model:
The act of saying or
writing something in It is the intention
It is the effect
writing something in
a language. That
locutionary act
should be
constructed in
conformity to the
rules of the language
that we are speaking
if we want to be
understood
It is the intention
that we have when
we utter
something, the
real value that it
takes because of
the context where
it is uttered
It is the effect
produced in the
listener or
reader when
they understand
the illocutionary
act

Locutionary
Act:
The Form:
•Negative
sentence
Illocutionary Act:
The Function:
•A boyfriend’s
excuse to go out
I don’t have any money
Exchange:
Boyfriend and girlfriend are bored on a Saturday
night The girlfriend says “let’s go to the movie”
and the boyfriend replies:
sentence
•Declarative
sentence
•Present
tense
•Subject (1st
person
singular)
with his girlfriend:
1.maybe he is tired
or
2. he doesn’t like
the movie she
selected.
Perlocutionary Act:
The Result:
•The girl could decide to
forget about going out.
•She tells him she has
money.
•She goes alone.

Watch the video related to Searle’s classification
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2cZ0Eb1Bk
Answer the
following question
according to what
you understood
from the video

Classification of illocutionary actsClassification of illocutionary actsClassification of illocutionary actsClassification of illocutionary acts
In colloquialIn colloquialIn colloquialIn colloquial
languagelanguagelanguagelanguage
Indirect utterances are more
common to be used rather
than direct speech acts. It is
the listener or reader who
has to infer the illocution of
the utterance, since thethe utterance, since the
message is not directly
transmitted
Searle (1965) established a classification
for inferring the possible
Illocutionary force or value of an utterance in a discourse

Commisive
(promises or
threads, oath,
make an offer)
Utterances in which the
speaker commits himself
to do something in the
future
I’ll call you
tomorrow
Do that again and I
swear you’ll pay for
that
Directive
(suggestions,
requests,
utterances which
function is to get the
listener to do something.
Please, come in
Could you open the
door?
L2
requests,
advices, or
commands:)
listener to do something. door?
Representative
(a claim or a
report, a denial,
an assertion, a
statement, an
hypothesi,)
Utterances through
which the speaker
describes states or
events (facts that can be
true or false)
Electrical failures
are making
everybody get
angry
Yes, I agree with
that.

Declarative
(baptisms,
judging,
pronouncing,
blessings
Utterances which function
is to create a change about
the reality in tune with the
proposition of the
declaration
I absolve you from
all your sins
L2
Expressive
(apologies,
complains,
thanks and
congrats)
Utterances through which
the speaker expresses
feelings and attitudes
I’m sorry for letting
you down
I don’t like horror
movies

The theory of speech actsThe theory of speech actsThe theory of speech actsThe theory of speech acts
Read the following dialogue. Try to identify the types of illocutionary
acts according to Searle’s classification.
Husband: oh no!!! we haven’t got the TV program
Wife: you know what you have to do! Go…
Husband: are you nuts? I’ve just come in!
Wife: well, I’ve been working at home all day!
Go…
I’ve just come in!
Well, I’ve been working at
home all day
an imperative sentence which
expresses a directive illocution
(command)
a declarative and exclamative sentence
which expresses an expressive illocution
(complain)
a declarative sentence which
expresses an expressive illocution
(complain)
Husband: women!

It is important for English teachers to keep in mind
that most of our discourse in normal communication
are indirect. This is why it is not enough to teach ourare indirect. This is why it is not enough to teach our
students grammar; it is our obligation to teach them
the multiple ways in which the grammatical
structures that they study in class are used in real
communication

Practice activity
Read carefully the lyrics of the song YOU
ROCK MY WORLD (MICHAEL JACKSON).
Select at least 3 sentences, analyzing them in
terms of form (locutionary force) and
function (the possible illocutionary forces).
Remember to classify its illocutionary forceRemember to classify its illocutionary force
according to Searle’s classification, justifying
your decision.

My life will never be the same cause girl, you came and changed
The way I walk, The way I talk
I cannot explain the things I feel for you but girl, you know it's true
Stay with me, fulfill my dreams
And I'll be all you'll need
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels so right
I've searched for the perfect love all my life
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels like I have
finally found her perfect love is mine
(See, I finally found, come on, girl)
You rocked my world, you know you did
And everything I own I give
The rarest love who’d think I’d find someone like you to call mine

Sentence Locution Illocution Type of illocution
Select at least 3 sentences, analyzing them in terms of form
(locutionary force) and function (the possible illocutionary forces).
Remember to classify its illocutionary force according to Searle’s
classification, justifying your decision.

Unit 2

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Unit 2