S p ee c

h A c ts
 What is Speech Act?
Speech Acts are the
speaker’s utterances which
convey meaning and make
listeners do specific things
(Austin, 1962). When saying
a performative utterance, a
speaker is simultaneously
doing something.
There are three types
of Speech Acts
1. A locutionary speech act occurs
when the speaker performs an
utterance (locution), which has
meaning in the traditional
sense.
2. An illocutionary speech act is
the performance of the act of
saying something with a specific
intention.
3. A perlocutionary speech act
happens when what the speaker
says has an effect on the
 Locutionary
Speech Act
• This happens with the
utterance of a sound, a
word, or even a phrase as
a natural unit of speech.
• What is required for the
utterance to be a
locutionary act is that is
has sense, and has the
same meaning to both the
speaker and the listener.
• Example: “What” (when
someone is surprised)
Illocutionary
Speech Act
• In an illocutionary speech act, it
is not just saying something
itself, but the act of saying
something with the intention of:
• Stating an opinion, confirming,
or denying something
• Making a prediction, a promise,
a request
• Issuing an order or a decision
• Giving an advice or permission
• Examples: “There’s too much
homework in this subject.”
(opinion)
Perlocutionary
Speech Act
• This is seen when a particular
effect is sought from either
the speaker, the listener, or
both.
• The response may not
necessarily be physical or
verbal and elicted by:
• Inspiring or insulting
• Persuading or convincing
• Deterring or scaring
• The aim of perlocutionary speech
act is to change feelings, thoughts,
or actions.
• Examples:
• “I was born a Filipino, I will live a
Filipino, I will die a Filipino!”
(inspiring)
• “It is the bleak job situation that
forces Filipinos to find jobs
overseas.” (persuading)
• “Texting while driving kills – you,
your loved ones, other people!”
(deterring or scaring)
 Identify the different speech
acts.
• Identify the illocutionary act (intention) in each item:
• 1. A friend says to another friend, “Why don’t you like to sing?”
• 2. A father says to his child, “Why don’t you spend less time watching TV?”
• 3. A child says to her playmate, “Yippee! Cookies!”
• 4. A doctor says to a patient, “I advise you to stop smoking.”
• 5. One secretary says to another, “My daughter is getting married in August.”
• 6. A priest says over an infant, “I baptize you in the name of…”
• 7. A passerby says to a motorist with a flat tire, “Let me help you with that.”
• 8. A mother says to her daughter, “Who washed the dishes?”
• 9. A woman says to someone next to her at the grocery store, “It’s going to be a
very windy day.”
• 10. A police officer says to a young man who was speeding, “You’re under arrest.”