SEARLE’S CLASSIFICATION OF SPEECH ACTS
NO | TYPE | DESCRIPTION |
1 | Assertive/ Representative | Assertives involve the speaker expressing their beliefs about what is true or false. They can take the form of stating facts, making assertions, drawing conclusions, and describing things. Essentially, the speaker makes statements that they feel are true or want others to believe them (Yule, 1996). EXAMPLE: I believe that social media contributes to body image issues - expresses a personal opinion through the use of the word ‘believe’ |
2 | Declarative/ Verdictive | According to Searle (1969), declaratives are a type of speech act that can alter the state of the world through uttering them. To make a declaration correctly, the speaker must have a particular institutional position and be in a specific context. EXAMPLE: In a wedding ceremony, an officiant might say, I now pronounce you husband and wife would formally declare the couple as married. |
3 | Expressive | Expressives refer to speech acts in which the speaker expresses their emotional state or psychological experience. Expressives emphasize the speaker's feelings, attitudes, and per- perspectives in a particular situation (Yule, 1996). EXAMPLE These speech acts can involve statements of pleasure (e.g., This is great!), pain (e.g., That hurts, ouch!), likes (e.g., This tastes so good), dislikes (e.g., I don’t like this), joy (e.g., This is the best day ever!), or sorrow (e.g., I am sorry to hear that). |
4 | Directive/ Command | Directives refer to speech acts speakers use to instruct the hearer to perform a particular action (Searle, 1969). EXAMPLE Please stop talking! - a request to have someone be quiet about the speaker's desires and can take the form of commands, orders, requests, and suggestions. Directives can be either positive or negative |
5 | Commisive | Searle (1969) explains that commissives refer to speech acts in which the speaker commits to a future action. These speech acts reveal the speaker's intentions and can be promises, threats, refusals, and pledges. Commissives can be made by an individual or by a group of speakers. EXAMPLE I promise I will be there by 9 a.m. - expresses a commitment to be punctual. |
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