Oral Communication
Quarter 2 – Notes 3
Types of Speech Act
Speech acts are actions done by saying them. The listener must first determine the type of act being performed
before he can determine which way a speech act is to be interpreted. These speech acts are categorized as follows:
1. Locutionary acts are, according to Susana Nuccetell and from Gary Seay (from Philosophy of Language: The
Central Topics) 2007, “the mere act of producing some linguistic sounds or marks with a certain meaning and
reference.". Locutionary act refers to any utterances that may contain statements or words about objects. It may be
a word or even a phrase that has a meaning. For example:
“It is raining.”
“My teacher is wearing a red dress today.”
“I love dogs.”
2. Illocutionary act is the acting part of the speech act. It carries a directive for the audience. It may be a command,
an apology, an expression of thankfulness, or just an answer to a question for the information of other people in the
communication process. There are two kinds of illocutionary acts.
The first is called constantive, or making something true or false by saying it. This is commonly done by
someone in authority like a judge or an official.
Examples:
I name this dog Chubby.
You are free to leave.
You are not my friend anymore.
The meeting is adjourned.
The second is doing something by just saying it. It is also called performative.
Examples:
I nominate Lancer for president.
I accept the challenge.
I promise to take care of you as long as I live.
I challenge you to prove me wrong.
You are invited to my birthday celebration.
Illocutionary acts can be categorized into common families of speech acts. The following are John Searle’s
categories of illocutionary acts. Each has its illocutionary purpose.
a. Assertive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker expresses belief about the truth of a proposition like
boasting, suggesting, asserting, concluding, and swearing
Example: I am still the best student in class.
b. Directive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker tries to make the addressee act by way of
commanding, requesting, begging, inviting, pleading, or insisting
Example: Take me to that place.
c. Commissive – a type of illocutionary act that commits the speaker to future actions such as promising,
planning, vowing, and betting
Example: I will take you to school every day starting tomorrow.
d. Expressive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker expresses his/her feelings or emotional reactions.
Some examples of expressive acts are thanking, apologizing, welcoming, and deploring
Example: I am so sorry for not wearing the complete uniform today.
e. Declarative – a type of illocutionary act that brings a change in an external situation. Simply put, declarations
bring into existence, or cause the state of affairs which they refer to. Some examples of declarations are
blessing, firing, baptizing, and bidding
Example: You are fired!
3. Perlocutionary act is the third aspect of speech acts. It is a speech act that produces an effect, intended or not,
achieved in an addressee by a speaker’s utterance. The perlocutionary act can bring about a consequence to the
audience. They have an effect on the listener in feelings, thoughts, or actions such as changing someone’s mind.
Unlike illocutionary acts, perlocutionary acts can project a sense of fear in the audience.
Consider the following utterance, “By the way, I have a CD of Debussy. Would you like to borrow it?” Its
illocutionary function is an offer, while its intended perlocutionary effect might be to impress the listener, to show a
friendly attitude, or to encourage interest in a particular type of music.
