This document discusses speech acts and their classification. It begins by defining locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts. It then discusses how speech acts can be classified, including using illocutionary point which considers illocutionary force, direction of fit, and sincerity conditions. Five categories of speech acts are outlined: assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations. Context and politeness rules also influence which speech acts to use in a given situation. Felicity conditions relate to whether the speaker can fulfill the intentions and psychological states of the speech act.

1. lezione 15 del corso teorie della comunicazione – Genova CP

2. 1. what are they?

3. LOCUTIONARY ACT
(act of saying)
ILLOCUTIONARY ACT
(act we do in saying...)
[conventions]
PERLOCUTIONARY ACT
(act we do by saying...)
[consequences]
phonetics (form)
syntax
semantics (content)
felicity conditions
(illocutionary “force”)
context dependence
(2 examples Mario and “her”)

4. 2. how to classify them?

5. 1) “explicit performatives” (Austin)
(illocutionary clause (Searle))
2) different criteria (Searle):
*Illocutionary point* (essential condition)
– illocutionary force
– direction of fit
– sincerity conditions (psychological state)

6. Ill. force direction of fit sincerity condition
Assertion worldwords believe in what you assert
Command wordsworld will of future action
Commitment wordsworld intention to fulfill the action
Expression  possibility to express psic.states
Declaration words world will of future action

7. 1. Assertive: represents a state of affairs. E.g. stating, claiming,
hypothesizing, describing, telling, insisting, suggesting, ...
2. Directive: getting the addressee to do something. E.g. ordering,
commanding, daring, defying, challenging
3. Commissive: getting the speaker to do something. E.g. promising,
threatening, intending, advising, warning, betting, vowing to do or
to refrain from doing something ...
4. Expressive: expressing the mental state of the speaker about an
event presumed to be true.. E.g. congratulating, thanking,
deploring, condoling, welcoming, apologizing
5. Declaration: bringing into existence the state of affairs to which it
refers. E.g. blessing, firing, baptizing, bidding, ...

8. 3. when and how to use which speech acts?

9. 1) open the window!
2) will you open the window, please?
1) what time is it?
2) do you know the time?

10. John Searle:
preparatory condition
Robin Lakoff:
following the rules of the “logic of politeness”

11. 1. Don’t Impose
2. Give Options
3. Make your Receiver Feel Good

12.  is the speaker able to fulfill the sincerity conditions?
 or better: can he realize the illocutionary point?
 (felicity conditions in general include intentions,
sentiments, psychological states, but also
conventions, physical possibilities, practical
possibilities...)
 what does the choice of a particular kind of
illocutionary act reveal of the speaker?