Speech Act Theory। Speech Act Terminology/Types। Classification of Speech Acts।

Department of English

4 Nov 202206:21

Summary

TLDRSpeech act theory, rooted in J.L. Austin's work, explores how utterances function as actions in communication. It categorizes utterances into locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts, focusing on the speaker's intentions and effects on the listener. The theory identifies five main speech acts: representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations, each serving distinct communicative purposes and impacting the state of affairs or the listener's actions.

Takeaways

📚 Speech Act Theory is a linguistic concept that explores the meaning of words and their role in communication.
🗣️ The term 'speech act' originates from J.L. Austin's work and his 1955 lectures at Harvard, emphasizing words as actions.
💬 Speech Act Theory views utterances not just as verbal expressions but as actions that can change the behavior of both speakers and listeners.
🎭 The theory categorizes language as a form of acting, serving a function in interpersonal communication.
🗣️🔊 A locutionary act involves the speaker producing meaningful sounds or words in a proper order.
🤔🗣️ An illocutionary act is closely tied to the speaker's intentions, such as stating, questioning, promising, requesting, and commanding.
📜 Austin described the illocutionary act as an utterance with a specific intention and purpose in mind.
🔄 A perlocutionary act is performed with the intention of influencing the hearer, affecting those who receive the meaningful utterance.
🔢 Speech Act Theory classifies speech acts into five categories: representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations.
📝 Representatives, or assertives, commit the hearer to the truth of the proposition, including asserting, concluding, and reporting.
🏛️ Declarations, or declaratives, cause immediate changes in the institutional state of affairs, often relying on extra-linguistic institutions.
🤝 Commissives involve the speaker committing to a future action, such as promising, offering, or vowing.
📢 Directives are the speaker's attempts to get the addressee to perform an action, including ordering, requesting, and commanding.
💌 Expressives convey the speaker's psychological or mental state, such as thanking, congratulating, apologizing, and deploring.

Q & A

What is Speech Act Theory?
-Speech Act Theory is a linguistic concept that explores the idea that words have meaning and are used as actions in communication. It analyzes the role of utterances in relation to the behavior of speakers and hearers in interpersonal communication.
Who is credited with the development of Speech Act Theory?
-J.L. Austin, a Cambridge philosopher, is credited with the development of Speech Act Theory, which he introduced in his William James lectures delivered at Harvard in 1955.
How does Speech Act Theory view language in communication?
-Speech Act Theory views language as a form of acting that serves a function in communication, where utterances are seen as actions that can change the state of behavior of both the speaker and the listener.
What is a locutionary act according to Austin?
-A locutionary act is an act where the speaker says something and produces certain noise or utters words in a proper order that must carry meaning, sense, and reference.
What is an illocutionary act and how is it connected to the speaker's intentions?
-An illocutionary act is an act closely connected with the speaker's intentions, such as stating, questioning, promising, requesting, and giving commands. It is uttered by the speaker with a specific intention and purpose in mind.
What is the purpose of a perlocutionary act?
-A perlocutionary act is performed with the intention of producing a further effect on the hearer. It is an act that has an impact on those who hear a meaningful utterance.
What are the five basic kinds of speech acts as promoted by Searle and Vanderveken?
-The five basic kinds of speech acts are representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations.
How do representative acts function in Speech Act Theory?
-Representative acts, or assertives, commit the hearer to the truth of the expressed proposition. They involve stating facts and include asserting, concluding, affirming, believing, concluding, denying, reporting, etc.
What changes do declarations bring about in the institutional state of affairs?
-Declarations affect immediate changes in the institutional state of affairs and often rely on elaborate extra-linguistic institutions. They alter the external status or condition of an object or situation solely by making the utterance.
What commitments do commissive acts involve?
-Commissive acts commit the speaker to some future course of action. They involve promising, offering, guaranteeing, pledging, swearing, vowing, undertaking, and warranting.
How do directive acts operate in communication?
-Directive acts are attempts by the speaker to get the addressee to do something. They are illocutionary forces that get things done by the addressee and include ordering, requesting, asking, begging, challenging, commanding, daring, inviting, and insisting.
What does an expressive act express and include which examples?
-An expressive act expresses a psychological or mental state of the speaker. It includes thanking, congratulating, apologizing, appreciating, deploring, detesting, regretting, thanking, and welcoming.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Speech Act Theory: Understanding Language as Action

The first paragraph introduces Speech Act Theory, a concept in linguistics that explores the idea that words have meaning beyond their literal sense. It emphasizes the role of utterances in interpersonal communication, highlighting how they can influence the behavior of both speakers and listeners. Originating from J.L. Austin's work, the theory categorizes utterances as actions, focusing on the change in behavior during communication. The paragraph delves into the terminology of speech acts, including locutionary acts, which are the basic utterances with meaning; illocutionary acts, which are tied to the speaker's intentions such as stating, questioning, or promising; and perlocutionary acts, which aim to produce an effect on the hearer. Additionally, it outlines the classification of speech acts into representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations, each serving a distinct communicative function.

05:00

📜 Types of Speech Acts: A Deeper Look

The second paragraph continues the discussion on speech acts by detailing the five basic kinds of speech acts as proposed by Searle and Levinson. These acts are representative, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarative. Representative acts, such as assertives, commit the speaker to the truth of a statement. Directive acts are attempts by the speaker to get the listener to perform an action, encompassing a range of expressions from ordering to requesting. Commissive acts involve the speaker committing to a future action, such as promising or offering. Expressive acts convey the speaker's psychological state, including expressions of gratitude or regret. Lastly, declarative acts, although not fully detailed in the paragraph, typically involve the speaker making a statement that affects the state of affairs, often relying on institutional backing. Each type of speech act is crucial for understanding the complex ways in which language influences and directs human interaction.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Speech Act Theory

Speech Act Theory is a linguistic concept that explores how language is used to perform actions. It was developed by J.L. Austin and is central to the video's theme. The theory posits that utterances are not just statements but actions that can change the state of affairs between speakers and listeners. For example, the script mentions that speech acts are 'action performed via utterance', highlighting how language functions beyond mere communication.

💡Utterance

An utterance, in the context of Speech Act Theory, is a spoken or written expression that conveys meaning. It is a fundamental unit of communication that can be analyzed for its performative aspects. The script refers to utterances as 'actual actions', emphasizing that they are not just passive expressions but active components in the speech act.

💡Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication is the exchange of information between individuals. The video discusses how speech acts play a crucial role in this process, as they involve not only the speaker but also the listener's behavior. The script notes that speech act theory studies changes in the 'behavior of speakers and hearer in interpersonal communication', showing the interactive nature of language.

💡Locutionary Act

A locutionary act, as defined by Austin, is the act of saying something and producing a meaningful utterance. It is the basic level of speech act where the speaker communicates a message. The script explains that a locutionary act involves 'the speaker says something and produces certain noise or utters words in proper order that must carry meaning sense and reference with them', which is essential for understanding the initial step in speech acts.

💡Ilocutionary Act

An illocutionary act is closely tied to the speaker's intentions and is an act performed with a specific purpose or effect in mind. The script describes it as an act 'uttered by the speaker with intention by keeping motive in mind', such as asking a question or giving a command. This type of act is crucial for understanding the speaker's intent and the impact of their words.

💡Perlocutionary Act

A perlocutionary act is the effect or outcome that an utterance has on the listener. It is the final stage in the speech act process, where the speaker's words influence the listener's behavior or feelings. The script mentions that perlocutionary acts are 'performed with the intention of producing a further effect on the hearer', illustrating how speech acts can extend beyond the immediate act of communication.

💡Representatives

Representatives, or assertives, are a type of speech act that commits the speaker to the truth of the expressed proposition. They are used to state facts or beliefs. The script includes examples like 'asserting, concluding, affirming, believing, concluding, denying, reporting', showing how these acts are used to convey information and assert the truth of a statement.

💡Declarations

Declarations are speech acts that bring about immediate changes in the institutional state of affairs. They are performative utterances that alter the external status or condition of an object or situation. The script notes that 'declarations affect immediate changes in the institutional State of Affairs', such as when a judge pronounces a verdict or a speaker declares a new policy.

💡Commissives

Commissives are speech acts where the speaker commits to a future course of action. They involve promises, offers, or commitments that bind the speaker to act in a certain way. The script lists examples such as 'promising, offering, guaranteeing, pledging, swearing, vowing, undertaking, warranting', demonstrating how these acts create obligations for the speaker.

💡Directives

Directives are speech acts that aim to get the addressee to do something. They are performative utterances that exert influence over the listener's actions. The script includes examples like 'ordering, requesting, asking, begging, challenging, commanding, daring, inviting, insisting', illustrating how these acts are used to direct or influence the behavior of others.

💡Expressives

Expressives are speech acts that convey the speaker's psychological or mental state. They are used to express emotions, attitudes, or feelings. The script lists examples such as 'thanking, congratulating, apologizing, appreciating, deploring, detesting, regretting, thanking, welcoming', showing how these acts are used to communicate personal sentiments.

Highlights

Speech Act Theory examines the role of utterances in interpersonal communication and the impact on speakers and hearers.

The theory is derived from J.L. Austin's work in his 1955 William James lectures at Harvard.

Utterances are viewed as actions within the framework of Speech Act Theory.

Language is seen as a form of acting that serves a function in communication according to the theory.

Yule (1996) defines a speech act as an action performed via utterance.

Locutionary acts involve the speaker saying something with meaning, sense, and reference.

Ilocutionary acts are connected to the speaker's intentions, such as stating, questioning, or promising.

Austin describes the ilocutionary act as an utterance with intention and a specific motive.

Perlocutionary acts aim to produce an effect on the hearer, influencing their behavior or state of mind.

Cyril and Levinson (1983) classify speech acts into five basic kinds: representatives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations.

Representative acts commit the hearer to the truth of the expressed proposition.

Declaratives, a type of representative act, involve the speaker asserting facts or beliefs.

Declarations cause immediate changes in the institutional state of affairs, often relying on extra-linguistic institutions.

Commissive acts commit the speaker to a future course of action, such as promising or offering.

Directive acts are attempts by the speaker to get the addressee to perform an action, like ordering or requesting.

Expressive acts convey the speaker's psychological or mental state, such as thanking or apologizing.