Talk And Action

Cicilia Ani Derinenta

Wilhelmina Kurnia Wandut
Utterances Classification
Length
Grammatical Structure
What sentences do functional approach stating, questioning,
requesting, exclaiming, etc
 Speech and Actions (Speech Acts)
Speech acts utterances that have performative functions in
language and communication
SPEECH ACTS
Accepting Complaining Insisting Questioning
Accusing Complimenting Insulting Refusing
Advising Congratulating Interrupting Reminding
Apologizing Criticizing Inviting Reporting
Arguing Denying Making excuses Requesting
Asserting Disagreeing ordering Suggesting
Changing the subject Evaluating Parting Sympathizing
Commanding Flattering Persuading Threating
Commenting Greeting Probing Warning
Speech Acts (2)
Many utterances do is making propositions.
Constative Utterances: utterances which are connected with events
or happenings in a possible world.
e.g: Your dinner is ready
Have you called your mother?

Ethical Proposition: utterances which may be true or false, although

not in the same sense.
e.g: God is love
Big boys dont cry
Speech Acts (3)
Phatic Not for propositional content but for affective value; do not
really communicate anything.
e.g: Nice day
How do you do?
Performative Utterance not just saying something but is actually
doing something
e.g: I name this ship Liberty Bell to name a ship
I now pronounce you husband and wife a father
I sentence you to five years in a jail a judge
Speech Acts (4)
Felicity conditions that performatives must meet to be successful
(Austin)
1. Conventional procedure must exist for doing whatever is to be done
2. All participants must properly execute this procedure
3. Feelings and intentions must be presents in all parties
Speech Acts (5)
5 Categories of Performatives (Austin)
Verdicitives Giving or a verdict or appraisal
We find the accused guilty

Exercitives the exercising of power as in appointing

I pronounce you husband and wife

Commissives Promising and committing one to do something

I hereby bequeath

Behabitives Apologizing, congratulating, blessing, cursing

I apologize

Expositives How one makes utterances fit into an argument

I argue ; I reply; I assume
 Speech Acts (6)
Kinds of Acts (Searle, 1969)

The utterances we use (literal meaning)

Locutions Express some intent that a speaker has
It is too far

May cause listeners to do things

Must be performed intentionally: conventional meaning & satisfy truth
Illocutionary condition
Dont go there

Effect on uttering a sentence

Perlocutionary
I will stay here
 Speech Acts (7)
What makes a promise a promise (Searle)
Rules that govern promise-making

1. Propositional Content Rule the words must predicate a future action of the
speaker
2.
Preparatory rules both the person promising and the person to whom the
3. promise is made must want the act done and that it would not otherwise be done
4. Sincerity rule requires the promiser to intend to perform the act

5. Essential rule the uttering of the words counts as undertaking an obligation to

perform the action
Cooperation
Cooperation Principles (Grice, 1975)
Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which
it occurs

Maxim of Maxim of Maxim of Maxim of

quantity quality Relation manner
the contribution Not to be false Be relevant Avoid obscurity
as informative as or lack adequate and ambiguity
required evidence