UNIT 1: LANGUAGE USE
SKILLS
Basic speech acts of social interactions.
Introduction
• Initially speech and communication was thought to be made up of
sentence that either make a statement or a command.
• This means that language was meant to either:
1) Describe events as they occur.
2) Declare statements whether they are true or false.
3) Make a command.
JL Austin – Speech act theory
Austin argues that language serves a greater purpose
than this.
1) Not all sentences are statements
2) Much of conversation is made up of questions,
exclamations , commands and expressions of
wishes.
e.g: I promise to call you tomorrow.
Is this a statement of fact? Is a command? Does it
describe an event?
Think about the following…
Can the sentences below be categorized as
statements/command/description:
1. I bet you R100 that Manchester City will win the league.
2. I am warning you that she will be very angry.
3. I declare that this meeting is officially open.
Each of these sentences, are in themselves, some sort of action. We
call these performative utterances.
Speech acts of social interaction
• This refers to the theory that analyses the way speech relates to the
behavior of the speaker and the listener in communication.
• It is concerned with the action context of linguistic utterances.
• According to this theory, we perform actions by uttering words, meaning
that speech is a communicative activity.
• It refers to the active ways in which people use language to interact
with each other.
Class activity
Complete question 1-5 on page 47 of the student guide.
Categories of speech acts
1) Directive
2) Commissive
3) Expressive
4) Declarative
5) Representatives
1. Directives speech
acts
The speaker tries to get the listener to do
something. This can be done through:
• Commanding
• Forbidding
• Asking
• Requesting
• Inviting
• Begging
E.g: Please close the door.
2. Commissive speech
acts
The speaker commits themselves to a
future course of action. This can
include:
• Promising
• Planning
• Vowing
• Betting
• Offering
E.g: I will never speak to you again.
3. Expressive speech acts
The speakers expresses their feelings or emotional
reactions. This can include:
• Apologizing
• Sympathizing
• Regretting
• Welcoming
• Thanking
• E.g: I am so sorry for your loss. I can imagine what you
must going through.
4. Declarative speech
acts
The speakers’ words bring about a change
in the external situation or reality. This
includes:
• Bidding
• Resigning
• Baptizing
• Firing
E.g: “As of today, the country will be on
level 5 lockdown regulation..” – President
Cyril Ramaphosa
5. Representative Speech
acts.
The speaker conveys their belief on
the truth of the situation. This can
include:
• Asserting
• Claiming
• Insisting
• Predicting
E.g: No one plays better football
then Leo Messi.
Felicity conditions
This is the criteria that has to met for a speech act to be successful.
This is because part of the meaning of the speech is its intended
social function. These conditions are:
1) The right context: the background context has to allow for the
speech to take place.
2) The right person: Only the person who is suited or qualified can
perform the speech act for it to make sense.
3) The right time: The time has to be appropriate for the speech
act to be performed.
Class activity
Read chapter 4 of the novel born a crime.
1) Identify the different speech act found in the chapter.
2) Analyze the felicity condition of the speech act.