Oral Communication in Context

Quarter 1 –
Module 7:Types
of Speech Act
 What I Know

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Consider this statement: “I now pronounce you as husband and wife.”
Who among the following can say this and make marital union happen?
A. Priest C. Retired policeman
B. Teacher D. Famous celebrity
2. What do you think does the speaker mean when he/she says, “Can you carry these for me?”
A. The speaker wants to know if I have the ability to carry his/her things.
B. The speaker is requesting me to help him/her carry his things.
C. The speaker does not make sense.
D. The speaker does not mean anything.
3. You and your sibling were playing in your room. Suddenly, your mother entered the room and she angrily said, “It’s dirty
here!” How would you interpret what she said?
A. She feels happy. C. She does not feel well that is why she got angry.
B. She wants you to clean the room. D. She just wants to get angry.
4. Based on the scenario in item number 3, what will your next action be?
A. I will continue playing with my sibling. C. I will stop playing with my sibling and will clean the room.
B. I will agree with her and say that the room is dirty. D. I will ignore my mother.
5. In which of the following statements is the speaker making a commitment?
A. “I checked her outputs last week.” C. “I promise to help you with your problems.”
B. “I am sad and feeling blue!” D. “I think following the law makes us responsible citizens.”
6. Which of the following refers to the utterance that a speaker makes in order to achieve an intended effect?
A. Speech act C. Speech style
B. Speech demo D. Speech variation
7. The following are the known functions of speech act EXCEPT:
A. Apology C. Offering
B. Greeting D. Planning
8. “Please clean the house.” This utterance falls under type of speech act.
A. Commissive C. Illocutionary
B. Locutionary D. Permissive
9. This refers to the audience’s reaction to an utterance since it carries a directive for the audience.
A. Locutionary C. Perlocutionary
B. Illocutionary D. Speech act
10. The listed ideas are utterance requirements for Locutionary Act, EXCEPT FOR ONE.
A. Has sense which is more important for communication to C. Has the appropriate response to what has been said
took place D. Has value to shared meaning when it is modified or
B. Has the same meaning to both the speaker and the listener adjusted
Directions for numbers 11-15: Identify what type of illocutionary act is being referred to in the following statements / definitions.
Choose the letter of the correct answer from the word pool. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
11. This refers to the type of illocutionary act in which the speaker is trying to make the addressee do what he wanted him to do or
A. assertive perform.
B. commissive 12. It is the type of illocutionary act in which the speaker tries to express his belief on something which to him is true
C. directive and valid.
D. expressive 13. A type of illocutionary act which tries to create a change in the external situation.
E. declaration 14. A type of illocutionary act in which the speaker’s feelings or emotional reactions are expressed.
15. It is the type of illocutionary act which states the intention of the speaker in committing himself to do something in the future.
 Lesson Types of Speech Act
A speech act is an utterance that a speaker makes to achieve an intended effect.
Speech acts are performed when a person offers an apology, greeting, request, complaint,
invitation compliment, or refusal. Speech act is an act of communication.
As we communicate with others, we use language without minding whether to use
complete sentence or not. The number of words in a single utterance does not matter so
long as we can get our message across.

Three Types of Speech Act

According to J. L. Austin (1962), a philosopher of language and the developer of the Speech Act Theory, there are three types of acts
in every utterance, given the right circumstances or context. These are:

By uttering the locution “Please do “Please do the dishes” would lead

Please do the dishes.” the dishes,” the speaker requests to the addressee washing the
the addressee to wash the dishes. dishes

Locutionary Illocutionary Perlocutionary

1. Locutionary act is the actual act of uttering or saying something. This act happens with the utterances of a sound, a word or
even a phrase as a natural unit of speech. For the utterances to be a Locutionary Act, consider the following:
• It has sense, and mostly importantly, for communication to take place.
• It has the same meaning to both the speaker and the listener.
• Utterances give rise to shared meaning when it is adjusted by the speaker for the listener.
Examples of Locutionary Acts:
“Doh!” (favorite expression of TV cartoon character Homer Simpson)
“Wow?” (When someone is amazed)
“Hello!” (greeting someone)
“Get out!” (a strong command)
• 2. Illocutionary act is the social function of what is said. In an illocutionary speech act, it is not just saying something itself but
with the act of saying something with the intention of:
• stating an opinion, conforming, or denying • issuing an order or a decision; or
something; • giving advice or permission.
• making a prediction, a promise, a request;
This Speech Act uses the Illocutionary Force of a statement, a confirmation, a denial, a prediction, a promise, a request, etc.
Examples of Illocutionary Acts:
It’s more fun in the Philippines. (opinion)
I’ll help you clean the house tomorrow. (promise)
Get my things in the office. (order)
3. Perlocutionary act refers to the consequent effect of what was said. This is based on the particular context in which the
speech act was mentioned. This is seen when a particular effect is sought from either the speaker or the listener, or both.
The response may not necessarily be physical or verbal and is elicited by:
• inspiring or insulting • deterring/scaring
• persuading/convincing; or
The aim of Perlocutionary Speech Act is to change feelings, thoughts, or actions.
Examples of Perlocutionary Acts:
“We can do this. We heal and win as one!” (inspiring)
“It is crucial that we give all our collective efforts to fight against this pandemic. We must start working together.” (persuading)
“Smoking destroys your health, certain as it brings diseases, it kills – you, your loved ones, and others!” (deterring)
Searle’s Classification of Speech Act
As a response to Austin’s Speech Act Theory, John Searle (1976), a professor from the University of California, Berkeley, classified
illocutionary acts into five distinct categories.
1. Assertive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker expresses belief about the truth of a proposition. Some
examples of an assertive act are suggesting, putting forward, swearing, boasting and concluding.
Example:
No one can love you better than I do.
2. Directive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker tries to make the addressee perform an action. Some
examples of a directive act are asking, ordering, requesting, inviting, advising, and begging.
Example:
Please maintain the cleanliness of our school.
3. Commissive – a type of illocutionary act which commits the speaker to doing something in the future. Examples of a
commissive act are promising, planning, vowing,and betting.
Example:
From this moment on, I will love you and honor you for the rest of my life.
4. Expressive – a type of illocutionary act in which the speaker expresses his/her feelings or emotional reactions. Some
examples of an expressive act are thanking, apologizing, welcoming and deploring.
Example:
Thank heavens, you came to save me! I owe you my life.
5. Declaration– a type of illocutionary act which brings a change in the 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, bidding, passing a sentence, and excommunicating.
Example:
You are hired!
By saying that someone is hired, an employee causes or brings about the person’s acceptance to job; consequently, this changes
his external situation.

What I Have Learned

Complete the statements by writing the correct word/s.
1. ___________________________________is an utterance that a speaker makes to achieve an intended effect.
2. The functions of speech act are ___________________, ___________________, ___________________, ___________________, ___________________, or refusal.
3. Speech act is an act of _______________________________________.
4. There are three kinds of speech act. They are _______________________, _______________________, and _______________________.
5. Locutionary act is the actual act of _______________________. This act happens with the utterance of a sound, a word or even a phrase as
a natural unit of speech.
6. ____________________________act is the social function of what is said
7. ____________________________act is the consequent effect of what was said. It is based on the particular context in which the speech act
was mentioned.
8. The aim of Perlocutionary Speech Act is to change , ____________________, ____________________, or ____________________.
9. _________________________________________is a philosopher of language and the developer of the Speech Act Theory.
10. There are five classifications of speech act. These are _________________, _________________, _________________, _________________, and
_________________.

What I Can Do

Suppose you are in the situations described below. As a good citizen, how are you going to respond to these? Supply the table with
the needed information. The first one is done for you.
 Scenario Locutionary Illocutionary Perlocutionary
(Utterance) (Intention) (Response)
“It’s heavy!” Mrs. Santos needs I will help her bring
Mrs. Sanchez was help. her books.
carrying heavy books.

Renato lost his

wallet.

The children were

crossing the busy
street.

Anton could not find

his eraser forthe
Math test.

Mae accidentally
slipped on the
floor.
 Grade
Quarter 1- Module 7
11 Module Title: Types of Speech Act
Subject Teacher: Fe J. Gotgotao
1
ASSESSMENT
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Who proposed the Speech Act Theory?
A. John Austin C. John Cena
B. John Searle D. John Lennon
2. When can we say that a speech act is a locutionary act?
A. When there is an utterance of a sound, a word, or even a speech
B. When there is something said to express an intention
C. When the utterance changes the person’s feelings, thoughts or actions
D. When the statement caused misunderstanding and confusion
3. Which of the following statements shows an illocutionary speech act?
A. “Our class will end in five minutes.” (The teacher’s actual utterance)
B. “Our class will end in five minutes.”(The teacher wants the class to finish the task before the bell rings)
C. “Our class will end in five minutes.”(The listeners respond by finishing their task right away.)
D. “Our class will end in five minutes.” (The exact words of the teacher)
4. What do you call the utterances that a speaker makes to achieve an intended effect?
A. Speech Act C. Speech Style
B. Speech Context D. Speech Variation
5. What type of speech act has an intended effect through locution and illocution?
A. Locutionary C. Perlocutionary
B. Illocutionary D. Prolocutionary
6. Who is the proponent of the Speech Act Theory?
A. J.L. Austin C. J. A. Austin
B. J.F. Kervin D. J.L. Gastivo
7. What type of speech act is this? “Please don’t let the door open,” the speaker requests that the door remain closed.
A. Locutionary C. Perlocutionary
B. Illocutionary D. Prolocutionary
8. You were eating delicious apples. Your friend came and asked you, “Is that sweet?” while looking at your apples. How
will you respond appropriately?
A. “Yes, these apples are sweet.” C. “Yes, would you like some?”
B. “No, please leave me alone.” D. “Absolutely!”
9. Who is the professor from the University of California, Berkeley that classified illocutionary acts into five distinct
categories?
A. John Austin C. John Lennon
B. John Searle D. John Scarley
For numbers 10 -15
To what classification of illocutionary act do the given examples belong? Choose your answer from the choices below.
A. assertive C. directive E. declaration
B. commissive D. expressive
10. _________“No one can sing as Leah does!”
11. _________ “Please clean the room before you leave.” 13. _________ “You are blessed.”
12. _________ “From this day forward, I promise to love you for 14. _________ “I love you very much!”
the rest of my life.” 15. _________ “Kindly see me after class.”