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Understanding English
Linguistics
Chapter 2 Pragmatics
: Overview of Speech Act Theory I
Tae-Jin Yoon
Dept. of English Language and
Literature
Objects
 After
this lecture, you should be able
to
◦ Identify various types of speech acts.
 Explicit and nonexplicit
illocutionary acts
 Direct and indirect illocutionary acts
Speech acts
Illocutionary acts Locutionary acts
Performative
verb
Explicit
nonexplicit
Syntactic
form
direct
indirect
Actual
meaning
Propositional
contents
expressed
implied
literal
nonliteral
1. Explicit vs. implied
illocutionary acts

Performative verbs
◦ English contains a set of verbs, each of which
actually names the illocutionary forces of that
verb.
◦ I confess that I stole the family jewels.
◦ I warn you to stop teasing your sister.
◦ May I inquire where you got that gun?
◦ I promise I'll come to your birthday party.
◦ I apologize for calling you a liar.
◦ I name this "The Good Ship Lollipop.
Conditions for a performative verb
to have its performative sense
1.
2.
3.
be positive
be present tense
have a first person agent
◦ (i.e., performer of the action of the verb)
4.
refer to a specific event
A performative verb as its
performative sense?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I promise I'll bring the beans.
I can't promise to bring the beans. (not
positive)
I promised I would bring the beans. (not
present)
Big Bob promises that he'll bring the
beans. (not first person)
I promise people things from time to time.
(not specific)
Criteria for performative verbs
Performative verbs
1. describes a voluntary act
2. describes an act that can only be
performed with words
3. can be used with the performative
indicator hereby
I know that the cube root of 27 is 3.
*I hereby know that the cube root of 27 is 3.
Explicit performative
An explicit performative
◦ An utterance that contains a performative
verb used in its performative sense.
 A nonexplicit performative.
◦ Any utterance not containing a performative
verb used in its performative sense.

Representative
Directive
Question
Commissive
Expressive
Declaration
Explicit Performative Nonexplicit
Performative
I deny that I killed
I did not kill Cock Robin.
Cock Robin.
I forbid you to leave
Don't leave your room.
your room.
I ask you where you
Where were you on the
were on the night of
night of May 21?
May 21.
I vow that I'll be faithful I'll be faithful to you.
to you.
I thank you for your
I appreciate your help.
help.
I resign.
I don't work here anymore.
Notes on some explicit
performatives

Stock utterances
◦ Thank you (I thank you).
◦ Congratulations (I congratulate you).

Nouns derived from performative
verbs
◦ e.g., advice from advise
◦ My advice is for you to leave now.
◦ = I advise you to leave now
Exercise D.1.a

Explain why each of the performative
verbs in the following utterances is not
being used in its performative sense.
I warned you not to open that
door.
2. Direct vs. Indirect
Illocutionary Acts

Direct illocutionary acts
◦ An illocutionary act is issued directly when
the syntactic form of the utterance
matches the illocutionary force of the
utterance.

Indirect illocutionary acts
◦ An illocutionary act is issued indirectly when
the syntactic form of the utterance does not
match the illocutionary force of the utterance.
Direct illocutionary acts
Utterance
Keep quiet.
Do you know Mary?
What time is it?
How nice you are!
It's raining.
I'll help you with the
dishes.
You're fired.
Illocutionary
Act
Directive
Yes-No question
Syntactic Form
Wh-question
Expressive
Representative
Commissive
Imperative
Yes-No
interrogative
Wh-interrogative
Exclamatory
Declarative
Declarative
Declaration
Declarative
Indirect illocutionary acts
Utterance
Illocutionary
Force
Syntactic Form
You might give me a hand with
this. (Give me a hand with this.)
And you are . . . (Who are you?)
Could you keep quiet? (Keep
quiet.)
Do you have the time? (What time
is it?)
Can I give you a hand with that? (I
can give you a hand with that.)
I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
(How sorry I am to hear about
your loss!)
Why don't you be quiet? (Be
quiet.)
Directive
Declarative
Wh-question
Directive
Expressive
Declarative
Yes-No
interrogative
Yes-No
interrogative
Yes-No
interrogative
Declarative
Directive
Wh-interrogative
Wh-question
Commissive
Note: Direct phrasing in parentheses
Summary on illocutionary acts

The illocutionary part of a speech act
◦ What utterance does (rather than what it
says)

Six types of illocutionary acts:
representatives, directives, questions,
commissives, expressives, and
declarations
Felicity conditions
 Explict and nonexplicit performatives
Direct or nondirect

Exercise E.a.

For each of the following utterances, state
(i) the syntactic form, (ii) the illocutionary
act it performs, and (iii) whether the
illocutionary act is performed directly or
indirectly.
A clerk says to a customer, And your
account number is. . .
Exercise E.c.

For each of the following utterances, state
(i) the syntactic form, (ii) the illocutionary
act it performs, and (iii) whether the
illocutionary act is performed directly or
indirectly.
An impatient husband grouses to his
wife: Shouldn't we be leaving soon?