L3.Speech acts

Speech acts:
It is an utterance as a functional unit in communication. In speech acts
theory, utterances have two kinds of meaning:
a) Propositional meaning: This is the basic literal meaning of the
utterance which is conveyed by the particular words and structures.
b) Illocutionary meaning: This is the effect the utterance or written text
has on the reader or listener. For example, in “I am thirsty.” The
propositional meaning is what the utterance says about the speaker’s
physical state.The illocutionary meaning is the effect the speaker wants
the utterance to have on the listener.
Speech acts classification:
According to (Searle, 1981), speech acts can be classified into five parts:
i) Commissive: a speech act that commits the speaker to doing
something in the future, such as a promise or a threat:
- If you don’t stop fighting I’ll call the police.(threat)
- I’ll take you to the movies tomorrow.(promise)
ii) Declarative: a speech act which changes the state of affairs in the
world. For example, during the wedding ceremony the act of marriage is
performed when the phrase “I now pronounce you man and wife” is
uttered.