5. Discourse( Speech Act)

7/31/2019 5. Discourse( Speech Act)

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Speech Act

Speech Act is an act that a speakerperforms when making an utterance.

To analyze speech act we need

knowledge about the physical world and thesocial world.

Speech Acts

Declarations Performatives


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I order you to

open the door !Thefelicity

conditions

The sender believes the action should be done

The receiver has the ability to do the action

The receiver has the obligation to do the action

The sender has the right to tell thereceiver to do the action

If any one of

theseconditions isnot fulfilled,the utterancewill not functionas an order

example


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the power of the sender over the receiver is considerable

the situation

explanation

example

between teacher and student

I think your answer could be a bit longer

Don't you think havingcomplete answer in a simple

way is more important?

I'm bloody sure you can answer longerthan that.

I've written all I can but itwon't come any longer.

You are supposed to answer with longerexplanation.

I didn't see that in theinstruction

(INSTRUCTION :ANSWER THE QUESTION

COMPLETELY !)

It's my job to see you have answered longer.

What you told me wasall right.

Joe, make your answer longer!!!

No, Sir.

Joe, I order you to make your answer

longer!!!

No, Sir.

Right, you've had it now. Tryingto undermine my authority!!!!

You are on a charge!!!!!!!


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T : I think your answer could be a bit longer.

S : Don't you think having complete answer in a simple way

is more important?

T : I'm bloody sure you can answer longer than that.S : I've written all I can but it won't come any longer.

T : You are supposed to answer with longer explanation.

S : I didn't see that in the instruction

(INSTRUCTION : ANSWER THE QUESTION COMPLETELY !)

T : It's my job to see you have answered longer.

S : What you told me was all right.

T : Joe, make your answer longer!!!

S : No, Mom.

T : Joe, I order you to make your answer longer!!!

S : No, Mom.

T : Right, you've had it now. Trying to undermine my

authority!!!! You are on a charge!!!!!!!

Condition 1

Challenge

Condition 2

Challenge

Condition 3

Condition 4

Challenge

Challenge

Imperative

Refusal

Refusal

Explicit Performative

S.A. theory


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underlying relations offunctions and acts.

Speech Acts Theoryprovides us with a means of probing beneath the surfaceof discourse and establishing the function of what is

being said

examines the structure of discourse

in terms of surfacerelation of form


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Speech acts theory uses technical terms for these layers ofintentions and interpretation

Documents

5. Discourse( Speech Act)