Speech Act Theroy- Leech

Question 1

What are Speech Acts?

Answer 1

The act of sping something through speaking, actions performed by saying something. Actions depend on the intentios of hearer and speaker.

Question 2

Relate the 4 syntactic moods with their illoutionary force.

Answer 2

Declarative: statement
Imperative: directive
Exclamative: exclamation
Interrogative: question

Question 3

Name the different types of speech acts.

Answer 3

Locutionary: what it is said
Iillocutionary: speaker’s intention
Preclocutionary: the effect of what it is said has on the hearer

Question 4

Classification of speech acts according to their illocutionary force (5)

Answer 4

Declarations: expressions that change the world
Assertives: expressions by which speakers state what they believe to be the case
Commissives: the speaker commits to do something
Directives: making the hearer do something
Expressives: state what the speaker feels

Question 5

What are the felicity conditions?

Answer 5

Specified circumstances required for speech acts to be performed succesfully.

1. Context and roles must be recognized
2. Action must be carried out completely
3. Persons must have the right intentions
4. Hearer must understand the lanuage
5. Speaker must not play act or pretend

Question 6

What are the two macro functions of speech acts?

Answer 6

Transactional: mainly informative. Factual
Intercational: to socialise