This document discusses speech acts, which are functional units of communication. It defines locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary aspects of speech acts. It also discusses research methods used to study speech acts, including role plays, discourse completion tasks, and interviews. Finally, it notes the importance of teaching speech acts to language learners and recommends techniques like modeling dialogues, role plays, and feedback.

1. By Mariángeles Salazar

2.  Speech Act is a functional unit in
communication. (Austin’s theory 1962)
 Furthermore, to communicate is to
express a certain attitude, and the type
of speech act being performed
corresponds to the type of attitude
being expressed. (Bach 1994)

3.  As an act of communication, a speech
act succeeds if the audience identifies,
in accordance with the speaker’s
intention, the attitude being expressed.
 Some speech acts, are not primarily acts
of communication but of affecting
institutional states of affairs. (Bach 1994)

4.  1. Locutionary: Meaning, namely, the
literal meaning of the utterance.
 2. Illocutionary: Is related to the social
function that the utterance or the written
text has.
 3. Perlocutionary: Is the result or effect
that is produced by the utterance in the
given context.

5. Suppose that a bartender utters
the words: “The bar will be closed
in 5 min”.
› 1. Locutionary: Saying that the bar will
be closed in 5 min. Act of saying
› 2. Illocutionary: The act of informing
the customers of the bar’s imminent
closing and perhaps also the act of
urging them to order a last drink.
Function: Info-persuasion
› 3. Perlocutionary: The bartender
intends to be performing this act by
causing the customers to believe the
bar is about to close, and of getting
Final them to want and to order one last
orders! drink. Effect

7. c t
Spe ech A

8. According to Olshtain and
Cohen (1983), speech act sets
are set of strategies used by
native speakers of the target
language uttered in the
appropriate context.
It is also paramount to notice
that as stated by SLA
researchers, the lack or even
partial mastery of speech act
sets may hinder breakdowns in
communication.

9. Skills at
selecting
Sociocultural speech act
Abilities strategies
which are
appropriate
given…

10. Sociolinguistic
Ability

11. Research Methods
to investigate
speech acts
1. Data are 1. Allow to test
spontaneous 1. Artificial. hypothesis. 1. Relative new.
2. Reflects what 2. If recorded, 2. Effective task for 2. Must be
speaker’s say allow to have a gathering data. recorded.
3. Realia retrospective 3. Positive: Refusals 3. Structured
4. Rich pragmatic self- observation & semantic questions.
structures of speech formulas
Naturally Discourse Verbal Report
occurring data Role Play Completion Interviews

12. Refusals
1. By Beebe and
Apologies Cumming
(1985)
1. By Holmes 2. Discourse
(1989) completion
2. Natural task.
occurring. 3. Gather lots of
3. Gender information but
differences did not elicit
actual wording
(strategies-
length of
Rejections responses-etc)
1. By Bardovi-Harlig and Hartford (1992)
2. Natural occurring and discourse completion
3. EFL learners use more semantic formulas
(explanations, alternatives, etc)

13.  To date, few studies were conducted among nonnative speakers.
 Ellis (1992) conducted two studies in the area. One with elementary
school children and, the second with college students.
› Ellis (1992) looked at the extent to which communication in an
ESL classroom in London resulted in the acquisition of requests by
a 10-yaer-old Portuguese speaker and an 11-year-old Punjabi
speaker.
› Results:
 Both learners failed to develop a full range of request types
and also lacked a broad linguistic repertoire for performing
the types of requests that they were able to acquire.

14. According to Cohen-
Olshtain and Rosenstein
(1986) speech acts reflect,
for most part, routinized
language behavior helps
learning in the sense that
much of what is said is
predictable.
However, depending on the
sociocultural context, there
are a variety of possible
language forms to achieve
certain semantic formulas
such as: apologies, refusals,
etc.

15.  The role of the teacher-researcher can be to
obtain some information on how native speakers
perform certain important speech acts, such as
requesting, complaining, etc.
 Diagnostic assessments may help teachers to
determine the student’s level of awareness of
speech acts in general.
 Model dialogues are useful for students in order to
practice real situation regardless the topic.

16.  The evaluation of a situation is a useful technique
to further reinforce the learner’s awareness of the
factors affecting the choice of semantic formula.
 Role play activities are suitable for practice as well.
 Feedback and discussion are useful so as to
understand the perception and expectations of
the students.