SPEECH ACTS AND ACTIVITY TYPES Flashcards
THE PERFORMATIVE
some utterances, which are apparently statements, have no truth conditions, but they are not statements, they are actions
(Thomas, 1995)
self-referential performative - I apologise
ritual performative - I baptise you
co-operative performative - I bet you
AUSTIN 1962
distinction: locution: the actual words uttered; illocution: the force/speech act behind the words; perlocution: the effect of the illocution on the hearer
SPEECH ACTS
Austin (1979) + Leech (1983)*
declarations: naming, baptising, sentencing
representatives: stating, affirming, describing
expressives: apologising, thanking, congratulating
* rogatives: questioning, asking, querying
commissives: promising, threatening, offering
directives: commanding, requesting, suggesting
ACTIVITY TYPES
a conventionalised bundle of actions, such as speech acts, along with their associated features