1. I christen/name this ship the Princess Elizabeth. 2. I now pronounce you man and wife. 3. I sentence you to ten years in prison. 4. I promise to come back by 6pm. 5. I command you to surrender immediately. 6. I apologize for being late.
Locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary speech acts
• Three facets of a speech act: Three facets of a speech act:
• locutionary act (phonic, phatic, rhetic): the production of a meaningful linguistic expression • illocutionary act: the action intended to be performed by a speaker in uttering a linguistic expression, by virtue of the conventional force associated with it. the con entional force associated ith it • perlocutionary act: the bringing about of consequences or effects on the audience through the uttering of a linguistic g g g expression, such consequences or effects being special to the circumstances of the utterance.
Pragmatics (Lecture on Language Education (Lecture on Language Education and Linguistic Information I)
Speech Acts
D. Y. Oshima Second Semester, AY 2010‐2011 DICOM‐GSID‐Nagoya University
Locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary speech acts
• An illocutionary act refers to an action that An illocutionary act refers to an action that the speaker accomplishes (or intends to accomplish) in the course of an utterance; accomplish) in the course of an utterance; e.g., accusing, apologizing, blaming, congratulating, giving persmission, joking, congratulating giving persmission joking nagging, naming, promising, ordering, refusing, swearing, and thanking. refusing swearing and thanking • illocutionary force, illocutionary force indicating device, illocutionary act potential indicating device illocutionary act potential
4. I ll come to the party. 4 I’ll come to the party
Felicity conditions on performatives
• felictity conditions vs truth conditions felictity conditions vs. truth conditions • Certain conditions must be met for a performative to be successful (or felicitous ). performative to be successful (or ‘felicitous’) • misfire, abuse
Felicity conditions as constitutive rules
• Searle’s view: the felicity conditions are not Searle s view: the felicity conditions are not only ways in which a speech act can be (in)appropriate, but they also jointly (in)appropriate but they also jointly constitute the illocutionary act/force. • In other words the felicity conditions are the In other words, the felicity conditions are the constitutive rules, i.e., rules that create the activity itself. activity itself
Speech Act Theory Speech Act Theory
• Initiated by John L Austin developed by John Initiated by John L. Austin, developed by John R. Searle. • saying & doing words & deeds saying & doing, words & deeds
1. Snow is white.
• Some sentences do not state: d
2. Good morning! 3. Is she a vegetarian? 4. Close the window, please.
Performatives vs. constatives Performatives vs. constatives
Performatives vs. constatives Performatives vs. constatives
• Background: Logical positivism; the key Background: Logical positivism; the key function of language is to make true or false statements. statements
• The ‘performativity’ can be made explicit by The performativity can be made explicit by the use of a performative verb and the adverb hereby. hereby • A performative verb typically (i) has a first‐ person singular subject, and (ii) is in the person singular subject and (ii) is in the simple present tense, the indicative mood, and the active voice. and the active voice
• Performatives:
• Explicit (with a performative verb)
3. I promise to come to the party. 3 I promise to come to the party
• Implicit (without a performative verb)
Performatives vs. constatives Performatives vs. constatives
• Constatives:
1. It is raining outside. 2. He will come to the party. He will come to the party. 3. I promised to come to the party.
Locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary speech acts
• Perlocutionary acts/effects (i) are not always Perlocutionary acts/effects (i) are not always intentional, (ii) are not under the speaker’s full control, (iii) and are less conventionally full‐control (iii) and are less conventionally tied to linguistic forms. • consequence by product consequence, by‐product
Locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary speech acts