Speech act: some notes

 Speech acts: some notes

The perspective of linguistic acts starts from the postulate that language is a communication tool. Therefore understanding language means understanding a theory of action, that is to say speaking and performing a series of linguistic acts.

Our speaking represents a form of behavior and the analysis of this linguistic behavior must allow us to understand the rules underlying this competence.

The linguistic acts are governed by rules and are divided into three moments: the act of locution, perlocution and illocuzione.

The conditions of illocutions are based on the intentions of the speaker, who has his own ability to represent the world, that is to say a "semantics" of reality. This intentionality is a peculiar phenomenon of the speaker and the world.

The analysis of illocutions takes place against two uttered statements but with a different "strength":

for example "I ask you to notify the goalkeeper and you could notify the goalkeeper. They have the same propositional content but have a different" strength "to affect the context. The context allows me to calibrate my linguistic acts. Therefore perception is an important element to understand the implications of the context.

Searle, in his works on linguistic acts, proposed a taxonomy:

verdictive, 
expositive,  
behabitive, 
 commissive

For example, assertions are linguistic acts that intend to adapt the world to words. The same thing makes a request but changes the strength of the statement. The illocutionary "force" determines the relationship with the world. This difference is found relative to the psychological states:

a0 express a belief (assert, explain, support)

b) expressing an intention (promising to study, guaranteeing to study, swearing to study, vowing to study) are statements that say the same thing but with very different locutory force.

c) make a wish (I order / command that / I want that


In performing an illocutionary act the speaker expresses an attitude, a psychological state towards the propositional content.

In fact, beliefs are assertions, statements, findings, explanations, declarations, deductions, arguments.

Intentions are promises, vows, threats, commitments.

The will is made up of requests, orders, commands, petitions, requests.


It is different to say: I propose to go to the swimming pool or I insist to go to the swimming pool

I swear I saw it or I think I saw it


The difference in strength of the language act depends on the status of the speaker and the interlocutor. The head of office asks the clerk for something or the clerk asks for something to the head of the office are two sentences with the same propositional content but the first example can be understood as an order while the second is a suggestion. This is inferred from our world semantics where the speaker's status changes the perception of the linguistic act in question.