The document discusses indirect speech acts, where the literal meaning of an utterance differs from its intended meaning. For example, when a mother asks "Where are you going?" she may indirectly be telling her son to stay home because he hasn't done his homework. Indirect speech acts can be performed through different types of illocutionary acts, including directives which cause hearers to take actions, like requests or commands. The question in the comic strip is an example of an indirect speech act, as it functions as a request or command rather than a literal question.

1. INDIRECT SPEECH ACTS
In this comic strip taken from The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson) we can see
how the utterance “Where are you going?” leads to a “misunderstanding”.
This is due to the fact that this example belongs to the Indirect Speech Act theory (Searl), more
specifically to “the primary illocutionary act. The indirect one, which is not literally performed.”
That is, the question above mentioned is not performed as such. Calvin's mother isn't asking where
he's going, but rather telling him to stay because she knows he hasn't done his homework yet.
→ Indirect Speech acts can be performed through other types of Illocutionary Speech Acts
Searle (1975) has set up the following classification:
• assertives = speech acts that commit a speaker to the truth of the expressed proposition, e.g.
reciting a creed
• directives = speech acts that are to cause the hearer to take a particular action, e.g. requests,
commands and advice
• commissives = speech acts that commit a speaker to some future action, e.g. promises and
oaths
• expressives = speech acts that express the speaker's attitudes and emotions towards the
proposition, e.g. congratulations, excuses and thanks
• declarations = speech acts that change the reality in accord with the proposition of the
declaration, e.g. baptisms, pronouncing someone guilty or pronouncing someone husband
and wife
Thus, we can say that, as the initial interrogative isn't used (only) as such, but as a request or
command (depending on our perception of the tone in the comic stripe), i.e. a directive, this is an
example of an Indirect Speech act.