Speech Act Theory Instructor: Dr Khader Khader

 Outline:  How Speech Act Theory began  What is the theory about  Levels of performing speech acts according to Austin  Illocutionary acts according to Searle  Examples from literary texts  References

 How SAT Began: SAT did not start as a linguistic enterprise; it rather began as a philosophical investigation of the power of words in language. The two philosophers whose names are associated with SAT are John Austin and John Searle.

 What is Speech Act Theory? Speech act theory treats an utterance as an act performed by a speaker in a context with respect to an addressee. ‘It was for too long the assumption of philosophers that the business of a ‘statement’ can only be to ‘describe’ some state of affairs, or to ‘state some fact’, which it must do either truly or falsely.’ Austin, 1962.

A theory of language based on John Austin's ‘How to Do Things with Words’ 1962, the major premise of which is that language is as much a mode of action as it is a means of conveying information. As John Searle puts it, “All linguistic communication involves linguistic acts.”

Speech act theory attempts to explain how speakers use language to accomplish intended actions and how hearers infer intended meaning form what is said.

 Levels of Speech Acts: According to Austin, performing speech acts involves performing: -A locutionary act (الفعل الكلامي): the act of producing a recognizable, grammatical utterance in the language. -An illocutionary act (الفعل الإنشائي): the attempt to accomplish some communicative purpose.

- A perlocutionary act: the effect produced by the utterance in a given context. It should be noted that while phonology, syntax, and semantics focus on the locutionary act, pragmatics focuses on the illocutionary act, the aspect of the speech act which specifies what the language is being used for in a given situation.

In other words, a locutionary act has meaning; it produces an understandable utterance. An illocutionary act has force; it is informed with a certain tone, attitude, feeling, motive, or intention to achieve a purpose. A perlocutionary act has consequence; it has an effect upon the addressee. By describing an imminently dangerous situation (locutionary component) in a tone that is designed to have the force of a warning (illocutionary component), the addresser may actually frighten the addressee into moving (perlocutionary component). These three components, then, are not altogether separable.

 Types of Illocutionary Acts:  Assertive: like claims and suggestions  Directive: requests and commands  Expressive: thanks and apologies  Comissive: promises and vows  Declarative: decrees and declarations

Speech Acts application in literature ‘And what am I to do on the occasion?’ ‘Tell her that you insist upon her marrying him.’ ‘Come here, child,’ cried her father. ‘I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true?’ Elizabeth replied that it was. ‘Very well—and this offer of marriage you have refused?’ ‘I have, Sir.’ ‘Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is not it so, Mrs. Bennet?’ ‘Yes, or I will never see her again’ ‘An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents.—Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.’

Examples from Poetry: In Tennyson’s poem ‘Crossing the Bar’, there’s a sudden ‘turn’ in the metre – from the iambic to the trochaic- on the word ‘turns’: But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

In John Donne’s poem ‘The Good- Morrow’, there’s a pause for ‘wondering’ in the syntax of enjambnment (I/Did) after the words ‘I wonder’: I wonder by my troth, and I Did. Till we lov’d

References: - Leech and Short, ‘Style in Fiction’ - Austin, ‘How to Do Things with Words’ - Gaynesford, ‘Speech Acts and Poetry’ - Donne, ‘The Complete English Poems’ - Online articles: oy/spchact.htm heory.html

Thanks for listening …